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Job summary

Main area
Specimen Reception
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 2
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
249-7926809
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Western Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£25,272 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
29/06/2026 08:00

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Biomedical Support Worker

NHS AfC: Band 2

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 role is an opportunity for an enthusiastic individual to join the Great Western Hospitals Specimen Reception section within the Blood Sciences department. 

The post holder will join a team of dedicated professionals working to deliver high quality test results and excellent care to patients across Swindon and the surrounding area. The Great Western Hospitals Blood Science department handles over 6 million test requests per year and offers a large repertoire of tests for our patients.

The post holder will act as a support worker and undertake tasks to book clinical samples into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and prepare a variety of sample types for scientific analysis.

The Blood Science department operates continually 24 hours a day, and as such there will be a need for a flexible approach to working times, covering a variety of shift patterns including early, day, late, night and weekend work.

Main duties of the job

All staff members are responsible for ensuring they conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Main duties of the role include booking clinical samples in the LIMS system, sorting samples from large delivery bags into organised batches to enable efficient booking in, interacting with clinicians and visitors to the lab over the phone and face-to-face, cleaning equipment and work surfaces to ensure a safe and clean working environment and following standard operating procedures and directions from senior and supervisor staff to complete tasks in a safe and efficient manner.

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 heath 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

All staff members are responsible for ensuring they conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Main duties of the role include booking clinical samples in the LIMS system, sorting samples from large delivery bags into neat batches to enable efficient booking in, interacting with clinicians and visitors to the lab over the phone and face-to-face, cleaning equipment and work surfaces to ensure a safe and clean working environment and following standard operating procedures and directions from senior and supervisor staff to complete tasks in a safe and efficient manner.

Please see attached job description.

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria
  • Basic English & Maths (GCSE or equivalent)
  • NVQ Level 2 or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Demonstratable experience working and communicating as part of a diverse team
  • Demonstratable experience working in a high-through put environment
Desirable criteria
  • Broad knowledge of medical terminology
  • Demonstratable experience working within an NHS laboratory environment

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
Kirk Allott
Job title
Blood Science Laboratory Manager
Email address
[email protected]
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