Job overview

Do you have an eye for detail?  Can you work to deadlines?  Do you enjoy following instructions and patterns? Do you want to help patients get the right treatment as quickly as possible?

We are looking for a full time Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant to support enhanced access to NHS healthcare to work over a 7 day shift pattern within the hours of 08:00 – 22:00, including weekends and bank holidays on a rota.

Quick and accurate test result from the laboratory play a vital role in diagnosis and treatment of patients. Not just here at the RUH but also for medical centres and GP surgeries in the local area. The MLA’s play an important practical role in this service.

As an MLA your day will be made up of:

• Receiving and unpacking, labelling, sorting and centrifugation of blood tube samples ready for analysis.
• Checking, cleaning and maintaining equipment, such as a Benson viscometer and Cepheid rapid PCR.
• Communicating with Biomedical Scientist staff and supporting the Blood Sciences service
• Entering data onto laboratory system- both paper and digital.
• Participate in the Covid testing process running analytical methods on multiple platforms.

Main duties of the job

1. All pre-analytical sample preparation (including unpacking, sorting, booking-in, preparation of aliquots, storage of samples and making decisions on sample quality and labelling).
2. Decision making on ambiguous requests, as defined by standard operating procedures.
3. Entry of Patient Identification Data (PID) and test details into the laboratory computer system, a high degree of concentration is required as errors at this stage may not be corrected before results are released to the requesting clinician.
4. Resolving PID problems e.g. mislabelling, mislaid specimens and incorrectly requested specimens.
5. Participation in distribution and receipt of stores goods and stock control
6. Sending of samples via the post, following the Postal regulation policy.
7. Filing of Samples, blocks and Request forms using either manual or electronic systems
8. Cleaning & disinfecting of work area including associated equipment.
9. Dealing with telephone enquiries in a polite, sensitive and professional manner.
10. Telephoning results to GP surgeries.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person‑centred care we’re proud of.

We’re committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.

We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing  – and yes, we even have a pool! 

Discover what it’s like to live and work in Bath, explore our RUH staff benefits, and learn how we’re building healthcare for the future through the Dyson Cancer Centre and our commitment to research.