Job summary
- Main area
- Cellular Pathology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent: This may involve some weekend working
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 382-CS10-25
- Employer
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals
- Town
- Blackpool
- Salary
- £46,148 - £52,809 pa pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/04/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Biomedical Scientist Section Lead - Histology
NHS AfC: Band 7
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people.
We have three main hospitals providing acute services to around 330,000 local residents. The organisation also provides specialist tertiary care for cardiac and haematology services, delivers community health services to over 445,000 residents including those in North Lancashire and hosts the National Artificial Eye Service across England. Plus, we provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries.
We welcome and encourage application from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as: part time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.
Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, senior specialist BMS to join our friendly team in Histology at Blackpool. The successful candidate will contribute towards the departmental commitment to provide an efficient, cost effective, timely and high quality fit-for-purpose Cellular Pathology service to the Trust.
The post holder will oversee the operations and staff, and provide leadership, expertise and troubleshooting in our new Histology laboratory; including specimen reception, tissue dissection, processing, sectioning, routine staining and tinctorial staining. The post holder will work with the Cellular Pathology Management team to maintain quality and governance standards across all of cellular sciences. The post holder will also be expected to participate in development projects within the department, which includes Digital Pathology implementation and a new Pathology LIMS.
Main duties of the job
Blackpool Teaching Hospital
Biomedical Scientist Section Manager - Histology
37.5 hours per week
The post holder will oversee the operations and staff, and provide leadership, expertise and troubleshooting in Histopathology; including specimen reception, tissue dissection, processing, sectioning, routine staining and tinctorial staining. The post holder will work with the Cellular Pathology Management team to maintain quality and governance standards across all of cellular sciences. The post holder will also be expected to participate in development projects within the department, which includes Digital Pathology implementation and a new Pathology LIMS.
Working for our organisation
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Pathology is a clinical support service. Medical and scientific staff within Pathology provide diagnostic and clinical advice to surgeons and clinicians within the Trust and to General Practitioners within Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre area. The department has UKAS accreditation and is also accredited to train Biomedical Scientists and Junior Doctors.
The department has a strong user focus and a proven track record in developing new services to meet the changing demands of our clinicians and patients. This focus, allied to the regional specialist services, gives real opportunities for staff to train and develop in a supportive and educationally challenging environment.
We recommend that all individuals employed in patient facing roles, or those located on a ward or department where patients receive a service should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Responsible for ensuring the planning, organising and performing of highly
specialised procedures within the allocated section of work, using
specialised/complex automated and manual techniques, to meet prescribed
standards of quality and service delivery.
· To oversee the planning and prioritisation of the workload of the section
according to service needs and pressures, and the needs of individual
clinicians and outside agencies. To communicate and co-operate with
colleagues to ensure efficient and effective delivery of service.
· To be first point of contact for junior staff within the section in the event of
issues or unexpected outcomes, provide guidance to junior members of
staff and take decisive action in order to maintain standards, accuracy and
safety.
· To act as technical expert in the allocated section, to perform or oversee the more advanced and technically complex aspects of the work, and provide expertise, advanced skills and trouble shooting.
· To have the depth of knowledge and required skills to correctly and safely
process high risk specimens, hazardous materials, complex instrumentation
& specialist equipment, and complex or specialist procedures, according to
defined protocols, including managing unexpected outcomes.
· To take first lead in evaluation and implementation of new or improved
methodology, techniques, and equipment, and to recommend changes or
remedial action when necessary. To undertake approved research and
audit programmes.
· To ensure the accurate data entry and text/data processing of all
information and to help collate and provide data/information for managerial or clinical purposes.
· To undertake Internal and External Quality Assurance Schemes, interpret
reports, recommend modifications to procedure, and ensure compliance
with all governance & accreditation schemes, and service requirements.
· To ensure the safe storage and respectful disposal of specimens in
accordance with Trust and professional policy & guidelines.
· To carry out laboratory policies, Risk Assessments and Standard Operating
Procedures, contribute to their formulation, and recommend modifications
and contribute to future developments.
· To maintain a personal up to date knowledge base relevant to best practice
and maintain a personal compliance in respect of statutory and professional
personal development.
· To disseminate technical and procedural information to staff and service
users when the need arises.
· To monitor the day to day provision and functioning of facilities,
instrumentation and consumables to ensure efficient and effective
functioning of the section.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.
Person specification
Qualification and training
Essential criteria
- HCPC Registration
- BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science or equivalent
- Specialist Diploma in Cellular Pathology
- MSc Biomedical Science or equivalent to enable eligibility for Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Science e.g. Higher Specialist Diploma
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
- Membership or Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences
- Evidence of managerial training/advanced technical expertise
Experience & Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Experience in supervision, training and management of staff
- Extensive knowledge of Microsoft systems, LIMS systems
- Working as a member of a team
- Substantial post HCPC registration experience
- Ability to demonstrate a broad level of specialist laboratory experience in Histology
- Understanding the principles of staff appraisal
- Experience and understanding of audit & QMS
- Experience of troubleshooting complex diagnostic laboratory tests
- Health and Safety skills and knowledge of legislation
- Extensive knowledge of highly specialised histology procedures and instrumentation
- In depth knowledge of accreditation/licensing/governance requirements particularly ISO 15189
- Knowledge and Experience of Quality Control and Assurance
- Experience of writing complex documents with clarity and precision for use as SOPs
- Knowledge and Experience of Quality Control and Assurance
- Experience of and ability to manage and prioritise the work of the Histology laboratory and direct staff accordingly
- Experience of Trust administrative procedures
Skills and Ability
Essential criteria
- Ability to organise own work and to do so under pressure
- Experience of Trust administrative procedures
- Excellent manual technical skills
- Ability to problem solve
- A good motivator of staff of mixed abilities
- Team player
- Completes and finishes tasks
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of comprehensive and specialist diagnostic theory
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Joanne Sharples
- Job title
- Cellular Pathology Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01253 953151
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
BTH
- Telephone
- 01253 957001
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