Job overview

**Please note this vacancy is only open to staff currently working in Kent and Medway Pathology Network (KMPN)**

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Applications from candidates in other NHS trusts will not be considered.

We are seeking a motivated Associate Practitioner to join our Microbiology service at William Harvey Hospital. This is a permanent, substantive Band 4 post, working 37.5 hours per week. Applicants will ideally hold a science degree or have equivalent experience working within a laboratory environment.

Microbiology at William Harvey Hospital is recognised for its inclusive, supportive culture and strong sense of teamwork. We foster open communication across technical and diagnostic teams, creating a collaborative environment focused on high‑quality patient care. The department is UKAS accredited and an IBMS training laboratory, reflecting our commitment to quality, education, and continuous improvement.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for professional development. Depending on experience, the successful candidate will be supported to broaden their skills and may undertake specialist training aligned with their interests and career aspirations, within a rewarding and well‑supported environment.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Trust’s Pathology team and play an integral role in supporting and shaping future services.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will provide essential support to Biomedical Scientists within the Microbiology laboratory, assisting with the preparation of biological samples and the operation of laboratory analysers. They will have responsibility for supervising and supporting the development of Senior Associate and Associate Healthcare Scientists (Bands 2 and 3), including training and day‑to‑day oversight.

The role offers opportunities for further development, with additional training provided to enable the post holder to take a lead on defined aspects of service delivery, such as analyser management, Health & Safety, and Quality Management. The post holder will also contribute to more complex scientific investigations and undertake basic interpretive tasks in support of Biomedical Scientists. A commitment to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is expected to ensure ongoing competence and professional growth.

The laboratory operates 7 days per week, with core working hours of 08:30 to 17:00. The post includes participation in a rota covering a range of shifts, including late shifts up to 19:00, 1 in 4 weekends, and bank holidays. We are happy to consider flexible working arrangements within core hours.

Working for our organisation

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Kent and Medway Pathology Network

Kent and Medway Pathology Network is a formal partnership of seven laboratories across three pathology services in four acute Trusts. Our 1000 colleagues provide services across the health and care sector to a population of nearly 2 million.

We are at an exciting point of our network development with a recommendation to form a joint venture across the four Trusts leading transformation.  Our projects including single IT solutions, procurement and digital projects, to ensure our services are able to meet growing demand for our service users, patients and communities.