Job vacancy: Healthcare Scientist Support Worker - Band 3 Histology, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cheltenham

Job summary

Main area: Cellular Pathology
Grade: Band 3
Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (FTC 12 months)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Will include Saturday working)
Job ref: 318-25-T0093

Employer: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Cheltenham General Hospital
Town: Cheltenham
Salary: £24,071 - £25,674 pa
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 17/02/2025 23:59

Healthcare Scientist Support Worker - Band 3 Histology

Band 3

Join us at an exciting time for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust! We have an ambitious plan for our journey to Outstanding and are looking for aspirational, committed individuals to join us, making a real difference to both staff and patients.

As a former winner of England for excellence award: Tourism destination of the year, the beautiful city of Gloucester and the scenic regency spa town of Cheltenham are fantastic places to work and live.

As a hospital Trust we are currently involved in over 100 clinical trials and studies, whilst also providing acute elective and specialist services to a population of over 620,000.

By joining Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust new colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome and a future full of opportunities and support.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful candidate will, amongst other duties, be required to:

Check that the correct sample type has been received, correct sample labelling and suitability for diagnostic investigations, in accordance with Pathology laboratory policies and standard operating procedures (SOP); to take appropriate action for non-compliances

Recognise, prioritise and fast-track urgent samples to ensure minimal delay to patient treatment and waiting times

To ensure that tissue taken is secured and safe for processing – many samples are unrepeatable

To input test requests, including tests, patient demographics, requesting clinician and location for report onto laboratory computer system in a timely fashion in order to maintain efficient workflow and laboratory turnaround times and taking into account the urgency of the request

To carry out embedding of paraffin wax processed tissue blocks under indirect supervision of an HPC registered Healthcare Scientist

To carry out paraffin block tissue sectioning using a microtome under indirect supervision of an HPC registered Healthcare Scientist

To perform regular maintenance of equipment, including instrument set up and shutdown, weekly/monthly maintenance and to keep accurate maintenance records

To act as the first point of contact for the Molecular Pathology Section dealing with diverse and complex telephone and email enquiries from a variety of sources in a professional and polite manner and act appropriately upon information given. (This may range from requests for histology tests, requests for results, to being the first point of contact for complaints).

To receive and action requests for genomic testing on Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissue. To log all requests in the department databases and Laboratory Information Systems (LIMS).

To assist with associated paperwork and digitisation of the Cellular Pathology and Molecular Pathology services.

To support the tracking of cancer patients through Cellular Pathology and Genomics testing to ensure timely access to clinical care.

To support the development of improvements to working practises and processes and contribute to service review as required.

Person specification

Qualifications / Experience

Essential criteria

GCSEs in English and Science, A level Science or equivalent
Previous Laboratory experience
Good team worker
Able to maintain levels of concentration for prolonged periods
Ability to prioritise workload and cope under pressure
Good communication skills
Good working knowledge of MS Office

Desirable criteria

Previous experience of training staff
Basic knowledge of medical terminology

The health and wellbeing of our staff and patients remains the priority of the Trust. Vaccination remains the best chance we have of conquering COVID and the Trust encourages everyone to take up this offer.

Please note, this vacancy may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received, so please apply as soon as possible if you are interested. The Recruitment Team are unable to accept any applications after the position has closed on NHS Jobs.

Committed to safeguarding our community

If applicable for the post, all successful candidates will be required to pay for their own Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost will be £29 (standard checks) or £46 (enhanced checks), and will be recovered through two instalments from the candidate's salary. Please contact [email protected] for further information.

The Trust is a safeguarding employer committed to the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Trust is committed to safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults, and any appointment will be subject to satisfactory clearance. As part of the organisation's commitment to Safer Recruitment, candidates may request copies of relevant policies and procedures by contacting the Recruitment Team at [email protected]

Committed to supporting service personnel

As part of our commitment to support Service Personnel, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Career Transition Partnership, offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all qualifying Service and Ex-Service Personnel. To qualify for a guaranteed interview, candidates must meet the essential criteria for the post and be either a current member of the Armed Forces, or be within the two year period of resettlement. If this applies to you please email the job reference number and your AR number to the Recruitment Team at [email protected]