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Job summary

Main area
Cellular Pathology
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract
12 months (Fixed term for 12 months)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
249-7862953
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Western Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£28,392 - £31,157 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
09/04/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Digital Biomedical Support Worker

NHS AfC: Band 4

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital. 

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

This is a fixed term contract for 12 months.

An opportunity has arisen for a fixed term Band 4 Digital Support Worker to join our Cellular Pathology Department.

Working as part of the team, you will be expected to help maintain the departments digital pathology workflow, along with supporting with other duties such as MDTs, Sendaways and specimen tracking.

You will be expected to accurately and efficiently monitor and maintain the departments digital scanners, and to take part in quality assurance within the role  to maintain department standards, as set out by UKAS ISO15189.

Main duties of the job

Successful applicant will join the Cellular Pathology team and contribute to the technical support of the department, along with a responsibility for maintaining digital workflow. For full details see the responsibilities listed below, and in the attached job description.

All tasks will be completed following departmental standard operating procedures. The post holder will undergo a period of training then will work unsupervised once deem competent.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath 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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The applicant will undergo a period of training then will work unsupervised once deemed competent.

1.    Operation of the Philips digital slide scanner and IMS, assisting with the digital workflow, assigning cases on the IMS to consultants, QC checks of images to check for any issues, maintaining and cleaning scanner, deputise for digital lead in their absence.

2.    Preparation of case for discussion at multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTs). This includes identification of the appropriate cases, retrieval of slides from archive, data entry onto Excel spreadsheets, recording of audit data on completion of the meeting, and filing completed MDT lists.

3.    Sorting of cases to be sent to other hospitals for further testing/expert opinion/review.  Logging all material sent and returned, to ensure a full audit trail is available for every specimen.

4.    Respond and reply to department emails when appropriate.

5.    Reception of specimens.  Reception includes collection of specimens from pathology reception, data matching between specimen containers and request forms, coding samples, sorting into the correct work stream, and identification of specimens which must be rejected.  Rejected samples must be resolved and logged.

6.    Booking in of patient requests onto the pathology IT system.

Please see the attached Job Description for further details.

Person specification

Education, Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria
  • GCSE (or equivalent) English and Maths
  • Science A-levels (or equivalent): Biology, Chemistry, Physics or NVQ L3 in a laboratory-based discipline
Desirable criteria
  • IBMS Certificate of Achievement for Biomedical Science Support Staff, part I or II.
  • Management qualification

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of successfully working in a busy, multi-factorial role.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in a pathology department
  • Experience in Cytology and/or Histology
  • Experience in a customer service role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in People: GoldCare Leaver CovenantStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthArmed Forces Covenant

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Matthew Long
Job title
Cellular Pathology Laboratory Manager
Email address
[email protected]
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