Quality and Safety Officer

At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.

MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).

Our benefits

We believe in recognising and rewarding the amazing contribution of our staff and that is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional growth, including:

• Free on-site parking including EV charging
• Complimentary refreshments
• Flexible working arrangements
• Discounted gym membership
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
• On-site nursery (charges apply)
• A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
• VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial Wellbeing

Job overview

Pathology Quality and Safety Officer

Hours: Full time, 37.5 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working

The post holder will play a key role in supporting the delivery of a high quality, safe, and compliant pathology service, ensuring compliance with ISO 15189:2022 and wider regulatory frameworks. The post holder will collaborate with Blood Sciences, Microbiology, Cellular Pathology, Point of Care Testing and the Mortuary.

Working closely with the Pathology Quality Manager and broader laboratory management team, you will contribute to the development and maintenance of the Quality Management System (QMS), support audit and governance processes, training and quality improvement initiatives across all pathology disciplines.

'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'

Interview date: w/c 01 June 2026

Main duties of the job

Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Pathology QMS

Support quality improvement projects across departments

Coordinate audits, monitor compliance, and track actions to completion

Manage and investigate incidents, including root cause analysis and reporting

Working for our organisation

Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a “Good” rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.

As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.

We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.

Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards – a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards – and the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

NHS Staff Survey: Our Compassionate Culture and Leadership scores reflect a workplace where kindness, respect, and empathy are the norm—not the exception.

You will have experience working in a medical laboratory

You will have knowledge of quality management systems and ISO 15189:2022 standards

Experience with Quality Management System software (Q-Pulse, or similar) is desirable

Please refer to attached Job description for further information.

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity, and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once enough applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.

Person specification

Qualifications and knowledge

• Good general education including minimum of 5 GCSE, including English and Maths (Grade A to C) or equivalent.
• The equivalent of NVQ level 3 or an approved Foundation Degree in a relevant subject
• Knowledge of the principles of accreditation, compliance and governance

• Knowledge of Health and Safety requirements in the Laboratory
• Knowledge of Health and Safety requirements in the Laboratory

Experience

• Previous experience of working within a healthcare environment, ideally within a pathology laboratory or other regulated environment
• Previous experience of working within a healthcare environment, ideally within a pathology laboratory or other regulated environment

• Previous experience of working with laboratory / Quality Management software
• Previous Audit experience
• Experience with supporting and leading quality improvement projects
• Experience with UKAS accreditation assessments

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to work to strict deadlines
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
• Flexible & independent approach to work
• Attention to detail

Personal and people development

• Be open to and able to promote new ideas and ways of working
• Able to learn and assimilate new information and adapt to changing environments

Communication

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to communicate with staff at all levels

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Applications, offers of employment and contracts may be withdrawn or terminated if it is found that fraudulent statements were made or fraudulent documents provided during the recruitment process. Additional possible consequences include referral to professional bodies or criminal sanctions.