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Job summary

Main area
Cellular Pathology
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon-Fri)
Job ref
249-7044143-2
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Western Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£46,148 - £52,809 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
27/04/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Advanced Biomedical Scientist - Training and Main Laboratory

Band 7

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital. 

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

We are seeking an Advanced Biomedical Scientist to join our team.

You will work as part of the Cellular Pathology team involved in the technical preparation of specimens and performing defined procedures in accordance with standard operating procedures. To act as training and joint main laboratory  lead within the department and take part in quality assurance, documentation and organization of the department training and competency programs. To take part in the maintenance of department standards, assessed to UKAS ISO15189:2022 standards. To line manage members of staff and carry out appraisals, one to one meetings and other HR duties.

Main duties of the job

1.    To participate in the routine work of all sections within the department to provide our users with accurate and timely results.

2.    To perform both routine and specialist tasks covering a variety of equipment and manual techniques.

3.    To ensure that all tasks are performed in accordance with current Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and regulations to ensure a high quality service at all times.

4.    To ensure that equipment is properly maintained on a day to day basis and operated in accordance with laboratory and manufacturers SOPs.

5.    To be fully conversant with the equipment within the department, including troubleshooting.

6.    The documentation of specimens, including entry of computerised records.

7.    The handling, processing and disposal of histological and cytological material.

8.    The macroscopic description and transfer of category A specimens, such as small biopsies.

9.    Further specimen dissection techniques.

10.    The embedding and orientation of tissue samples selected for diagnostic evaluation requiring significant knowledge and experience of histological and anatomical structure.

Working for our organisation

“Our STAR values – Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect – are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.”

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

11.    The production of slides for microscopic examination, requiring extensive hand and eye coordination to produce high quality diagnostic sections using complex, skilled microtomy and handling techniques.

12.    The preparation of complex stains, working solutions and reagents in order to perform routine and specialised histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical investigations.

13.    To undertake routine and specialised histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical investigations on diagnostic tissue specimens in accordance with Standard Operational Procedures.

14.    To have precise pipetting skills where accuracy and precision are required.

15.    To undertake investigations arising from UKNEQAS participation, including cellular pathology techniques, immunohistochemistry and andrology.

16.    To implement quality control measures and checking.

17.    Manage staff for day to day operations of the section.

18.    Identify any problems within the section, working co-operatively with others to solve the problem, using knowledge and experience to arrive at the best conclusion.

19.    Use interpretive and judgement skills to ensure that each case is given the appropriate treatment and prioritisation. 

20.    Monitor internal and external quality control results, taking appropriate action to identify, correct and report problems.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • MSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent
  • Registration with the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) as a Biomedical Scientist
  • IBMS specialist diploma in Cellular Pathology or equivalent experience.
Desirable criteria
  • Membership with IBMS
  • IBMS Certificate of Expert Practice in Training

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience in all aspects of routine surgical histology
  • Experience of working in a UKAS accredited laboratory
  • Experience of the IBMS registration and specialist portfolios
  • Experience in immunohistochemistry and specialist staining techniques
  • Experience of training and competency assessment
Desirable criteria
  • Wider experience of specialist histology practices

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Good verbal and written communication skills.
  • Good organisational and time management skills.
  • Able to prioritise workload and carry out duties unsupervised
  • Able to cope under pressure
  • Demonstrates initiative and leadership qualities
  • Able to problem solve and supervise corrective actions
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of IBMS portfolio assessments

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in People: Goldhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kickstart-scheme-employer-resources/kickstart-scheme-brand-guidelinesStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Matthew Long
Job title
Cellular Pathology Laboratory Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01793 604278
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