Job summary
- Main area
- Pathology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Shift work)
- Job ref
- 252-7562597
- Employer
- Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Darent Valley Hospital
- Town
- Dartford
- Salary
- £26,240 - £27,928 per annum inclusive of allowances
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 09/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Healthcare Science Support Worker (Higher Level) - Haematology
NHS AfC: Band 3
Job overview
Applications are invited for a position as a Healthcare Science Support Worker, Higher Level (Band 3).
We are looking for Healthcare Science Support Workers with experience of working in an NHS pathology laboratory (or equivalent) to join our Haematology Department.
In partnership with Beckman Coulter UK (BCUK) our pathology laboratory houses a range of equipment including: Beckman Coulter DxH Analysers and Slidemaker/Stainer (SMS), IL(Werfen) TOP coagulation analysers,
Successful applicants will be expected to participate in an ongoing quality programme to maintain compliance with the United Kingdom Accreditation Standards (UKAS) and with the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The Department covers a 24/7 shift system to support future service delivery. The successful applicant will be expected to fully participate in the shift system in accordance with Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions.
Applicants should have NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience of laboratory practices and should be able to communicate well (see person specification for further details).
This post will be at Darent Valley Hospital
Working days and or shift patterns will be agreed by the line manager to meet the needs of the service.
This position will not be supported for visa sponsorship. All applicants are expected to have valid right to work document to work in the UK when applying for this position.
Main duties of the job
Performs a range of routine and non routine tasks within a laboratory in Pathology, for example, performs standard tests on clinical samples in Haematology , entering patient results into the Laboratory system, advising patients and service users on appropriate tests and sample containers and other aspects of the service and supervising and / or training less experienced staff in their own area.
Multi-site working will be expected between Pathology at Darent Valley Hospital with Pathology at Medway Maritime Hospital.
Working for our organisation
We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse employer. We strive to employ people who reflect the communities we serve, and aim to create an inclusive culture where everyone can reach their full potential. Whatever your race, ethnicity, belief, generation, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, disability or experience, you’ll appreciate the opportunities we give you to work in an inclusive atmosphere. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build on the progress we’ve achieved to make our Trust diverse and the best place to work. We celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that help us overcome challenges and embrace new possibilities. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant Pledge and have a commitment to the Armed Forces Community.
We are dedicated to using our Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach as our shared organisation model of change to enhance our services and ensure excellence in patient care.
If you are considering applying for a role, please be aware that as an NHS Employee you may have contact with vulnerable service users. We strongly encourage that all our staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and are vaccinated annually against Flu, in order to protect the health and safety of our staff and patients. Your commitment will help us to put the safety and care of our patients first, as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Technical responsibilities:
Adhering to Trust and departmental policies, guidelines and quality standards.
Supporting the work of Biomedical Scientist (BMS) staff working within the laboratory.
Working at all times according to departmental standard operating procedures.
Preparing and processing a range of clinical samples for testing, running automated tests on laboratory analysers as well as processing manual tests.
Entering test results on to the laboratory information system.
Performing daily, weekly and monthly maintenance on all analytical equipment within the laboratory.
Analysing daily and weekly quality control tests and only accepting values within defined criteria.
Informing BMS staff of any issues, inconsistencies or inaccuracies with QC analysed
Preparing and processing External Quality Assessment samples.
Please see attached job description for more information.
Person specification
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience of laboratory practices
Desirable criteria
- GCSE Maths and / or Science
KNOWLEDGE
Essential criteria
- Basic knowledge of biomedical procedures
- Computer literate and good keyboard skills
- Operating and maintaining laboratory analysers
- Processing biological specimens
EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Achieving targets within a specified timeframe
Desirable criteria
- Previously worked in a medical laboratory
Applicant requirements
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rachel Nicholas
- Job title
- Head of Haematology and Blood Transfusion
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01322428480
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