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Job description

You don’t need a Biomedical Science degree to work as a Medical Laboratory Assistant

In fact, all you need is a good eye for detail, good communication and organisation skills.

You’ll be trained in the rest.

If you’ve ever wondered where your medical results come from, how it’s done and the impact this has, now’s your chance to find out and support the efforts of the professionals working in this environment.

Here at the Blood Science laboratory at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals you’ll be supporting the work of Biomedical Scientists and other clinical colleagues, who undertake various tests and investigations to support the healthcare of patients. With these critical results, Doctors can understand better what’s happening to their patients and provide the necessary care.

As a Medical Laboratory Assistant, you’ll play a crucial role in doing the preparatory work, such as processing blood samples, staining bone marrow slides, getting reagents ready, undertaking administrative tasks and maintaining a safe working environment. This is going to involve following strict operating procedures and laboratory safety protocols.

These particular posts aren’t open to those who wish to join the Biomedical Scientist profession within the next two years as there’s already a training pipeline in place, however, there will be potential for other development opportunities.

This offers you a steady and secure career which could lead to supervisor / manager level positions down the line and will certainly get you out of an office environment. This is not your typical 9 to 5 office job. You will be working in a fast-paced laboratory environment, which for you, makes for varied, interesting, and sometimes challenging work; no 2 days are ever the same

Once adequately trained and up to speed, you’ll be put on a rota which will consist of working late shifts, weekends and bank holidays and sometimes night shifts. This means for you greater earning potential as you’ll receive enhanced pay for out of hours working and in addition, time off during the week on your rest days!

We currently have vacancies for the extended day rota, which consists of day, late, weekend and Bank Holiday shifts and also the 24/7 rota, which consists of day, late, weekend, Bank Holiday and night shifts.

Please state your preferred shift pattern on your application form and why you are applying for the position.

The laboratory services are fully accredited to UKAS 15189 standards and we are also accredited as a training laboratory for the IBMS Certificate of Achievement, Registration and Specialist portfolios.

The Blood Sciences Laboratories are based on two sites, St. Thomas’ and Guy’s, both of which have very diverse cultures. There is a wide breadth of clinical specialties associated with both of these prestigious teaching hospitals including the Evelina children’s hospital on site at STH and Cancer Centre on the Guys site.

This is a varied role and duties will be dependent on which section of the department or which shift you are working. You will work within a team, consisting of other Medical Laboratory Assistants and Biomedical Scientists. Main duties include equipment maintenance and processing quality control material; preparing patient samples for analysis using a variety of specialist equipment; filing and retrieving samples; checking outstanding workfiles; ordering and managing stock levels; data entry and answering telephone enquiries.

It’s not just a job, it’s a different outlook.

Working at GSTT, you will be close to the vibrant Borough Market and the South Bank, which are exceptional London locations.

There are numerous benefits to working at the heart of the Capital whether it is food or shopping that excites you, or live gigs and the theatre.

Perfect places to work and relax next to such iconic venues as Big Ben, The London Eye and The Shard!

There is always something going on at GSTT plus a number of employee benefits. The sites are very easy to get to via London Bridge or Waterloo mainline stations.

Your development and learning

You will have a suite of learning opportunities available through The Synnovis Way Development programme, the Scientific Learning and Development Fund which is used across Synnovis to enable you to reach your potential, learn new skills and achieve your goals.

This is managed between you and your line manager in line with your own personal and professional development ambitions.

You can apply for finance to drive innovation and service development for the benefit of patients through our Innovation Accelerator Fund.

Duties and Responsibilities
1. Technical

• To safely handle, use and dispose of blood or other body fluids or hazardous chemicals under supervision.
• Advise service users on sample preservation and transportation to laboratory
• To undertake preventative maintenance on laboratory instruments and equipment prior to them being used for patient investigations.
• To prepare store and use reagents required for laboratory investigations
• To perform manual, semi-automated and fully-automated laboratory investigations.
• Process samples under supervision for clinical trials and research and development projects as and when required
• Ensure quality control measures are carried out to monitor analytical performance, take corrective action where applicable and report any failures to a senior member of staff
• Participate in internal and external quality assurance programmes
• To report to the section supervisor any instance or event which may cause a service delivery failure.
• To file samples following appropriate protocols and keep records as required
• Dispose of excess and tested samples according to departmental protocols
• Attend and support clinics and satellite labs as and when required
• Undertake blood returns
• To receive, sort and log patient samples on to the laboratory information system.
• To store process or dispatch patient samples according to laboratory procedures.

1. Laboratory Informatics

• To comply with local and national policies for the safe, secure and confidential processing, and storage of patient and other laboratory information.
• To use the Laboratory Information System according to the authorised protocols.
• To maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases.

1. Administrative

• To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for the standard of UKAS ISO 15189.
• Undertake work file management to ensure all results are reported with agreed turnaround time
• To use departmental resources efficiently and advice the Section Supervisor when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.
• To participate in the data collection for the operation performance management system (OPMS)

1. General

• To comply with the policies and procedures of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and Synnovis.
• To observe and adhere to local and national health and safety policies.
• To keep the workplace and workbenches clean and tidy.
• To maintain good work relations with all members of staff, and to promote effective teamwork.
• To treat everyone associated with Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust and Synnovis with courtesy and respect.
• To observe national and local guidance on patient and commercial confidentiality.
• Keep appropriate records of all communications.
• To ensure compliance with all local and national standards of work practice e.g. Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK).
• Propose changes to Standard Operating Procedures to senior staff and aid in implementation of such changes, as and when required
• To maintain and promote the professional image of Blood Sciences, Viapath Pathology and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust.
• To comply with the training and competence policy and procedure
• To participate in and contribute to the Performance Planning and Review (PPR) process.

Essential Criteria for the role:

• Educated to good GCSE level in English and Mathematics
• Keyboard and mouse skills.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills – written and verbal.
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Able to work alone and as part of a team.
• Ability to work in a busy environment

Desirable Criteria for the role:

• Foundation degree or equivalent
• Previous experience of working in a pathology/laboratory environment
• Customer service experience
• Basic use of Microsoft Word and Excel
• Aware of the health care system
• Aware of the role medical laboratories.
• Awareness of H&S legislation

Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London.

The partnership provides services to 1.7 million people living in South East London, as well as to hundreds of thousands of patients from outside the region who use local healthcare services.

The partnership provides diagnostics, testing and digital pathology for hospital trusts, GP services and other healthcare providers.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Foundation Trust is a major emergency and specialist teaching Trust which has all the specialties associated with a fascinating and career defining case load including: Women’s Services, Fetal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Transplantation, and is also home to the Evelina Children’s Hospital and the Cancer Centre on the Guy’s site.

You will be close to the vibrant Borough Market and the South Bank, which are exceptional London locations; perfect places to work and relax next to such iconic venues as Big Ben, The London Eye and The Shard!