Specialist Biomedical Scientist Microbiology - ref. n90397723
We are proud to provide ‘Outstanding’ care and be a great place to work.
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.
We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £568 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.
Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people’s own homes.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated ‘Outstanding’ and Eastbourne DGH was rated ‘Good’ Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.
Recently the Trust launched its ambitious ‘Building for our Future’ (BFF) programme. This once in a lifetime programme aims to redevelop and expand our hospitals at Eastbourne, Hastings and Bexhill, transforming the environment in which we provide care for generations to come.
Job overview
The Microbiology Laboratory is based on a single site at the Eastbourne District General Hospital (EDGH) and is equipped with state of the art analysers/ equipment and has a Pathology-wide IT system that links with the hospital HISS system. The department processes in the region of 255,000 specimens a year.
The department has a technical staff of 19 serving the Conquest Hospital, Eastbourne District General Hospital, and a large GP catchment area, providing an interesting and varied workload. This UKAS-accredited, IBMS training-approved and fully computerised department provides a comprehensive diagnostic service, including Serology.Current instrumentation includes BD Bactec blood culture system, Cepheid Genexpert PCR system, Urine Sedimax, MastUri, BDMax PCR analyser, Biomerieux MALDI-TOF.
We currently have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to undertake all aspects of routine laboratory work, and function at a Specialist Biomedical Scientist level. You must be suitably qualified and HCPC-registered, with at least 2 years post-registration laboratory experience in the UK, with a completed IBMS specialist portfolio.
Qualified and HCPC-registered BMS staff participate in the contractual 7-day rotas.
Please note that the Job Description is pending review.
Main duties of the job
Biomedical Scientists working in Microbiology are responsible for analysing and interpreting the various causes of infection by the identification of disease-causing microorganisms, and for recommending their antibiotic treatment where appropriate.These processes utilise the most up-to-date scientific methods and highly complex analytical equipment, in conjunction with the traditional methods of culture, microscopy and antigen/antibody-complex diagnostics, and by the application of microbiological, biochemical, serological and molecular techniques.
The post-holder will be required to have a variety of microbiology skills in order to perform all these tests.
Diagnostic work includes the examination of a wide variety of samples such as blood, tissue, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and faecal material. Investigations include culture and identification of bacteria and fungi, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and the identification of lice, fleas and parasites.Serological investigations include assays for the diagnosis of HIV and Hepatitis B, other blood borne viruses and the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections.
Working for our organisation
We are proud to provide ‘Outstanding’ care and be a great place to work
We provide safe, compassionate and high quality care to half a million people living or visiting East Sussex. We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex, the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex. Our extensive services are provided by 7000 + members of staff working from acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites and in people’s own homes.
In 2020 the Care Quality Commission rated us as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ for being caring and effective. The Conquest Hospital and our Community Services are rated ‘Outstanding’. Eastbourne DGH rated ‘Good’.
In 2020, the Trust launched its ambitious ‘Building for our Future’ programme. This once in a lifetime programme aims to repair, redevelop and expand our hospitals, transforming the environment in which we provide care for generations to come.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the job description attached.
If you have any questions about this position please do not hesitate to contact us.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science or equivalent.
- Health Professionals Council registered.
- Specialist Portfolio in Microbiology.
- Evidence of continued professional develop to post graduate level or equivalent level of knowledge and experience
- Demonstrable knowledge and skills achieved through ongoing professional development and attendance on educational and practical courses e.g. specific Mycology training courses, specific Parasitology training courses, advanced instrument training courses, BSAC Symposia, etc.
- MSc Microbiology
Experience
Essential criteria- A minimum of 3 years of post HCPC-registration experience in a Microbiology Laboratory in the UK is required.
- Previous experience of working as part of a team
- Experience working with BDMax, BD BACTEC, BD Viper, WASP, Vitek MS, Vidas, Cobas, Sedimax, MAST Uri
Skills
Essential criteria- Advanced microbiology techniques
- Highly developed microbiology skills
- Good knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and procedures as applied in Pathology
- Good knowledge of Good Laboratory` Practice
- Basic molecular diagnostic techniques.
- Capable of working with minimum supervision after state registration
- Ability to validate results for clinical use. Identification of microorganisms and interpretation of diagnostic tests.
- Good molecular diagnostic techniques. Good scientific numeracy.
- Capable of working under pressure
- Capable of working in difficult environmental conditions.
Patients come first at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
Our vision is to be:
- The healthcare provider of first choice for the people of East Sussex.
Our mission is to:
- Deliver better health outcomes and an excellent experience for everyone we provide with healthcare services.
Our strategic objectives are to:
- Improve quality and clinical outcomes by ensuring that safe patient care is our highest priority.
- Play a leading role in local partnerships to meet the needs of our local population and improve and enhance patients’ experiences.
- Use our resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of our patients and their care to ensure our services are clinically, operationally and financially sustainable.
Our aims are that all services delivered by the Trust are:
- Safe
- Effective
- Caring
- Responsive and
- Well led