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Job description

An opportunity has arisen for two enthusiastic, experienced; HCPC registered Biomedical Scientists to join a proactive, friendly Histology department.

The department is fully UKAS and HTA accredited and is housed in a modern and spacious laboratory. Currently processing in excess of 50,000 surgical requests each year and providing diagnostic cellular pathology service to the population of St Helens and Knowsley and Southport and Ormskirk. The department embraces new technology utilising state of the art equipment for both routine H&E and Immunohistochemistry staining also being the first laboratory in the region to employ a full electronic specimen tracking system in histology.

We are recruiting in this role for:

• 1x Permanent, full time Senior BMS
• 1x Permanent, part time Senior BMS
• 3x Fixed Term, full time Senior BMS

Interview dates: TBC

The Successful candidate will be highly motivated, able to prioritise their workload, use their initiative and maintain a high degree of quality and accuracy at all times. They will participate in all aspects of routine and specialist histological techniques and will be given the opportunity to develop their skills in IHC, MOHS and diagnostic cytology techniques.

Continuous professional development is actively encouraged amongst all members of the team and the department has a good track record of developing its staff to realise their full potential via a variety of routes.

The department is fully computerised and uses iSOFT Telepath, Pathosys, OCS Trust order communications and Sunquest ICE systems and is fully committed to continuous quality improvement of its service.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the only acute Trust in Cheshire and Merseyside, and one of the few in the entire country, to achieve the title of OUTSTANDING, rated by the Care Quality Commission.

We provide a full range of acute adult services to our local population of circa 360,000 and provide tertiary services across a much wider area in the North West, North Wales and Isle of Man. We are a Major Trauma Unit and the Mersey Regional Burns Unit.

Our '5 Star Patient Care' strategy is at the heart of all that we do; supporting our vision to provide world class services for all our patients by getting it right for every patient, every time.

Our latest achievements include:

• Acute Trust of the Year – HSJ Awards November 2019
• Trust rates Outstanding by the CQC – Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers and Health Service Journal)
• Best acute Trust in the North West for quality of care (NHS Staff Survey 2021)
• Best place to work in the North West (NHS Staff Survey 2021)

In the NHS Staff Survey 2021 the Trust scored the highest marks in the North West for the following areas;

• Standard of care
• Best place to work
• Care of patients being the Trust’s priority
• Staff engagement
• Staff morale
• Compassionate and inclusive

KEY DUTIES

• To participate in routine processing, embedding, section cutting and staining histology samples
• To participate in non-Gynaecological Cytology (NGC) rota for adequacy assessment clinics
• Maintain and foster the highest possible standards of technical work with the ability to concentrate for significant periods of time with attention to detail, meeting all internal and external Quality Assurance and United Kingdom accreditation service (UKAS) standards
• Participate in the relevant External Quality Assurance (EQA) schemes, undertaking internal quality control assessments on daily basis
• To be involved with the improvement and development of the service, evaluating new equipment and introducing new techniques.

TECHNICAL

• Full participation in the departmental rota as appropriate to grade
• Participate in Biomedical scientist (BMS) cut up of simple specimens in line with local training policy and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS)
• Participate in the tinctorial special stains rota according to departmental SOPs
• Perform immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence in accordance with departmental SOPs
• Participate in the frozen section service for the department, both at Whiston and at the Mohs’s Clinic in St Helens Hospital.
• Participate in the UKNEQAS for Cellular Pathology Technique, NGC and ICC & ISH EQA schemes, ensuring that all material distributed is stained to the optimum degree and that retrieved material reflects the high standards of the department
• Perform internal quality control daily, acting on any non-conformances as appropriate
• Assist in the maintenance of the equipment within the department, ensuring that the maintenance logs are up to date in accordance with departmental SOPs
• Assist in the maintenance of adequate stocks of reagents and consumables within the department
• Liaise with bereavement office, funeral directors and mortuary department in respect to tissue retention and pregnancy loss processes in line with departmental and Trust policies.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

• To ensure that records are updated and stored safely in accordance to local and Trust policy and departmental SOPs
• Participate in the departmental audit schedule as required, ensuring that all findings are allocated to the appropriate handler and closed in the appropriate timescale
• To use the Laboratory information management system, according to authorised protocols
• Participate in the departmental culture of continuous quality improvement
• Take an active role in the delivery of the appraisal/IPR programme in the department as required.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in formal and informal CPD activities as required by professional body
• Due to a varied workload there is the need to multi-task both physically and mentally, communicating with all grades of staff
• To maintain registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and adhere to the codes of conduct of the Institute of Biomedical Scientists (IBMS).
• The Specialist BMS will be expected to work unsupervised, organising their own workload within the demands of the team, reporting progress and problems to the appropriate senior member of staff as necessary.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• To ensure laboratory records, policies and procedures are kept up to date and stored appropriately in compliance with ISO15189:2012 (UKAS), HTA and HSE standards.
• Deputise for Senior BMS in their absence.
• To advice Senior BMS staff when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.