Associate Practitioner
Job overview
An opportunity has arisen to join the Willink laboratory as an Associate Practitioner. This is a permanent post working full time Monday to Friday in the Metabolites section. The Willink Biochemical Genetics laboratory has a national and international reputation as a centre specialising in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with rare inherited metabolic disorders, particularly the lysosomal storage disorders.The laboratory has close links with the clinical service and therefore laboratory staff are able to see how their work contributes to the care of these patients.
The Willink Biochemical Genetics laboratory is part of the Genomic Diagnostics Laboratory and offers a highly specialised biochemical diagnostic service, primarily serving Manchester and the North West region, but also receives many referrals from throughout the UK and overseas.The laboratory provides a wide range of biochemical tests for the diagnosis and screening of rare inherited metabolic diseases, including regional screening for approximately 60,000 newborns per year for 6 specific disorders.
Main duties of the job
This is an excellent opportunity to learn a number of skills necessary for working in a Healthcare science laboratory including practical, theoretical and team working skills. This role is responsible for performing a range of protocol driven tasks.You will work as part of a team responsible for delivering one part of the service. Typical tasks are (but not limited to):- undertake defined technical and administrative tasks. To prepare and process patient samples for biochemical genetic analysis and basic maintenance of equipment and some administrative duties.
Working for our organisation
MFT is England’s largest NHS Trust with a turnover of £2.8bn & is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We’re creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.
Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 28,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you’ll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.
We’ve also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our brand-new Electronic Patient Record system which we’ve launched in September 2022.
We’re proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What’s more, we’re excited to be embarking on our new Green Plan which will set out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.
At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Supporting Documents’ heading. So that you’re even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you’ll need to take time to read the ‘Candidate Essentials Guide’ that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification.This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how ‘we care for you as you care for others’. Most importantly, it also contains critical information you’ll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.
COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is not currently a condition of employment, we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.If you are unvaccinated, there is helpful advice and information available by searching on the ‘NHS England’ website where you can also find out more about how to access the vaccination.
Diversity Matters
MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post.As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at [email protected].
We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- 2 A levels (at least one in Science) or minimum 3 years experience working as a medical laboratory assistant in an accredited Biochemical Genetics laboratory
- Foundation degree in relevant science, or equivalent
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Able to demonstrate knowledge and awareness of NHS diagnostic laboratory work
Training and Experience
Essential criteria- A minimum of 2 years experience in a laboratory environment
- Experience in an accredited genetics/diagnostic laboratory
- Experience of staff training
Skills and abilities
Essential criteria- Able to work accurately and follow standard operating procedures accurately
- To take responsibility for own work under direction of senior lab staff
- Able to recognise problems arising during testing and communicate these to senior laboratory staff
- Be competent in the use of the laboratory database and document management systems
- Ability to give technical training to other staff. Able to use and maintain lab equipment
- Proven ability using automated equipment and associated software
- Be proficient in a range of biochemical genetic techniques currently employed by the department under supervision
Attributes
Essential criteria- To take responsibility for own work under direction of senior lab staff
- Able to recognise and manage priorities
- Able to recognise problems arising during testing and communicate these to senior laboratory staff
- Good written and verbal communication skills
Others
Essential criteria- Able to undertake lone working
- Available to participate in the laboratory rota for weekend and Bank Holiday work
- Flexible attitude
- Diplomatic and co-operative
- Recognise and adhere to limits of own responsibility