Job overview

The post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Cytology Specimen Reception, ensuring timely, safe and accurate acceptance, booking, and distribution of cytology samples. They will supervise a team of reception and technical staff, maintain workflow, ensure compliance with SOP’s, and support the delivery of high-quality screening service. This role requires autonomy, strong organisational skills and experience in pathology specimen reception.

Main duties of the job

• To manage the day-to-day running of the cytology specimen reception area, ensuring efficient sample workflow and adherence to SOP’s.
• Ensure accurate booking-in, labelling and routing of all cytology samples
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues with incomplete, incorrect, or problematic samples.
• Maintain compliance with national cervical cytology screening standards and laboratory quality systems.
• Line-manage specimen reception staff including rotas, performance, and wellbeing.
• To give first line approval for annual leave and manage staff sickness
• To act as the first point of contact for staff performance and competency issues within the section
• To perform appraisal/personal development reviews
• Deliver training, competency assessments and supervision for new and existing staff.
• The provision of high standard of administrative and clerical work within the section
• Liaison with the laboratory scientific and technical staff to ensure smooth delivery of work
• Ensuring appropriate arrangements for dealing with enquiries and requests from a wide variety of sources (e.g. GPs, consultants, and other departments)
• Be key point of contact for the specimen transport drivers to troubleshoot any issues
• Chair specimen reception monthly meetings. To also attend and feed into regular transport, senior, governance and management meetings.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services and we are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve.  We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve the quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. We’re passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients.

We are delighted that we have been rated as “Good” by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards; The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020.

The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and as such will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.