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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

1. To provide all Consultants and junior medical staff, in this and other Trusts and General Practitioners within Liverpool, with a timely, highly specialist, clinical, technical and scientific service. This requires judgemental skills of a complex nature, to assist in the investigation, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment and understanding of disease, in individual patients. This may include recommendation for further action such as change of treatment or referral and frequently requires urgent advice regarding the management of patients.

2. To participate in the duty biochemist rotas assuming independent responsibility on such occasions for the clinical authorisation and issue of reports.

3. To undertake the timely clinical authorisation and reporting of clinical

biochemistry test results to clinical staff, frequently requiring urgent interpretation and advice regarding the clinical management of patients, using verbal and/or written communication.

4. To offer specialist scientific and clinical advice concerning patient investigations and clinical biochemistry results, in highly complex cases when appropriate, using verbal and/or written communication.

5. To present complex, sensitive or contentious clinical or scientific information to medical and nursing staff and managers within the Trust and other Trusts or GPs when appropriate, using professional knowledge and experience.

6. To give appropriate help and advice to patients when required, concerning sample requirements, testing guidelines etc.

7. To liaise with clinical laboratories from other Trusts, during the working day or out of hours including weekends, concerning the analysis of urgent blood tests not offered at this hospital. This may involve assessment of the validity of the request and liaison with the Consultant Clinician at this hospital and the Consultant Pathologist at the referral laboratory, involving organising collection and transport of the urgent sample and effective communication and interpretation of the result obtained.

Scientific and Technical

1. To have responsibilities within the automated and general chemistry sections, including the ability to perform novel and/or complex assays within the section, and specifically to implement, maintain and monitor quality assurance procedures (internal monitoring and external assessment) and take corrective action where the need is identified to ensure accurate and precise patient results.

2. To be involved in the evaluation and implementation of new analytical

methodology, tests and developments by means of (technical) clinical and

scientific assessments of method and instrument performances, particularly in the automated section.

3. To assist with the development and introduction of new analytical services (techniques) and operational procedures within the department, particularly taking a lead in the creation, review and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures controlling these activities.

4. To have a shared responsibility, along with other senior clinical scientists, for the analysis, interpretation and reporting of assays involving electrophoretic techniques.

5. To ensure that the standards required by UKAS for continued accreditation are met.

6. To liaise with the IT Manager in the collection and dissemination of appropriate data.

7. To deal with blood, urine, faecal, CSF and other pathological specimens for analytical purposes, contained and uncontained, when necessary. This may require the use of hazardous chemicals and contact with contaminated equipment.

Managerial

1. To participate in the scientific meetings of the department, including suggesting policy/organisational changes and improvements.

2. To participate in meetings of the departmental Quality Group and Audit and Clinical Governance Group, reporting back to the clinical scientists and Quality Manager and contributing suggestions for policy/organisational changes and improvements.

3. To implement contingency plans during disruptions to service provision and to communicate this to users in an effective manner. This may occur during the working day, or out of hours including weekends.

Research, Development and Audit

1. To initiate, undertake and collaborate in funded research and development in the field of Clinical Biochemistry and to advise on research projects undertaken by clinical, laboratory and other staff

2. To perform and present audit, research and development work carried out in the department at local and national meetings and to publish in appropriate academic journals, requiring the presentation of highly complex scientific, medical and technical information. This may involve collaboration with clinical and scientific colleagues from other directorates within this and other Trusts. 

3. To have a responsibility for the introduction and performance of novel and/or complex assays.

Education and Training

1. To provide supervision and mentoring for Trainee Biochemists,

regarding service provision/ development and research design.

2. To participate in the weekly Intra-departmental training and educational seminar programme, involving clinical case discussions and scientific presentations.

3. To participate in staff training programmes to develop the skills and experience of departmental staff.

4. To contribute to the training and education of nursing and medical staff, visiting colleagues and other professionals in all relevant areas of Clinical Biochemistry services provided.

Professional

1. To maintain advanced theoretical and practical knowledge for a range of appropriate work procedures and practices, necessary to perform and interpret specialised biochemistry procedures in a highly specialised laboratory associated with a large teaching hospital, with a large analytical workload (>7 million tests per year) and with a tertiary referral role.

2. To develop an interest and expertise, particularly in the fields of cardiac biomarkers, cardiac pathophysiology, endocrinology, statistical methods

3. To remain professionally aware of current practice and developments in Clinical Biochemistry and to attend local and national scientific and medical meetings in pursuance of this.

4. To work towards attainment of the status of Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath).

5. To maintain membership of the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purposes of state registration and to ensure that minimum mandatory requirements are met.

6. To maintain an appropriate awareness of the relevant organisation policies and Health & Safety guidelines, for dealing with potentially infectious materials, hazardous chemicals, COSHH regulations, risk assessments and hazard data sheets.

7. To ensure confidentiality of information is maintained at all times, complying with the Caldicott Regulations and General Data Protection Act.

8. To maintain competence in the use of the laboratory IT systems (Telepath, ICE) and in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, presentations and appropriate statistical packages, to enable the performance of routine duties, teaching and the undertaking and presentation of audit, research and development data to medical, nursing, and laboratory staff and managers.

General

1. To perform other appropriate duties deemed necessary by the Clinical Director after due consultation.