Biomedical Scientist | Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

As the services are provided 24/7/365, the post holder may be requested to work from any sites where the Trust provides a service.

Working autonomously as a Biomedical Scientist you will undertake manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations on a rotational basis through all sections within the Department, as required on a 24/7/365 basis. You will be a good problem solver and as a member of a team are required to be a good communicator to ensure effective continuity of service.

These systems operate via Siemens ADM middleware. In addition, the Department utilises Sebia MC3 (capillary electrophoresis) for the analysis of HbA1c and MAST Pledia Sensor for FIT testing.

At the Southport site also operates Siemens Atellica technology to deliver an essential service.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

KEY DUTIES

• Undertake manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations on a rotational basis through all sections (Automation, Endocrine, Manual and Pre-Analytical) within the Clinical Biochemistry Department as required.
• Follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and participate in the regular review and update of SOPs.
• Ensure that equipment is used in accordance with departmental policies and supplier’s instructions.
• Undertake routine and more complex maintenance procedures on the analysers within The Department and carry out appropriate internal maintenance procedures and maintain maintenance records.
• Plan and organise own work within the demands of the team.
• Undertake technical validation of multiple complex sets of results from laboratory investigations ensuring accuracy and precision as specified by laboratory protocols. Also, to assess the validity of the results as to whether conflicting information is due to the pathology of the patient, contamination or compromised integrity of the sample prior to release of the results for clinical validation.
• Measure and monitor the accuracy and precision of laboratory investigations using appropriate quality control procedures for Clinical Biochemistry.
• Carry out corrective action or inform senior staff when the quality control procedures indicate loss of performance.
• Prepare reagents required for laboratory investigations.
• Report any instance or event which may cause a service delivery failure.
• Have direct patient contact performing Sweat Test Analysis on children referred from the Paediatric Consultants, and to deliver relevant information to parents/guardians. To be aware of trust policies regarding working with children.
• Take appropriate action should the quality assurance systems be outside acceptable limits.
• Perform External Quality Control and be aware of the External Quality Control performance for the section.
• Disposal of patient samples in accordance with relevant guidelines
• Regular participation in the out of hours service provision of the department.
• Ensure provision of blood or blood products in a timely manner according to relevant SOP, commensurate with patient requirements.
• Maintain, troubleshoot and repair faults in laboratory instruments and point of care equipment and liaise with service engineers as required.

• Use interpretive skills to determine the clinical significance of results of laboratory tests, for example, by:

Ø Preparing, examining and reporting on the analysis of specimens.

• Interpret diagnostic laboratory results and take appropriate actions ie

Ø Authorisation and reporting of results.

Ø Adding technical comments.

Ø Referring results for a second opinion.

• Validate and authorise emergency test and selected other test results to patient file so that results may be acted on as necessary by clinicians.

• Communicate results verbally or by fax or telephone to persons authorised to receive them in a clear and concise manner following appropriate policies and procedures.
• Provide advice and information to Laboratory, Ward, GP staff and patients regarding samples and sample handling including information on appropriate tests and collection conditions for in house, referred and infrequently requested tests.
• Deal with result queries where information may be conflicting and difficult to understand.
• Communicate any relevant information to laboratory colleagues within the section and to inform effectively at hand over.
• Actively participate in team meetings and as required by more formal means such as presentations.
• Have involvement in the Annual Management Review.
• Notify carers of abnormal or life-threatening results.
• Attend senior staff meetings as a Biomedical Scientist (BMS) representative and cascading information to other BMS colleagues.
• Communicate, as appropriate, using information technology.
• Follow directorate policy for answering the telephone, taking messages when required.
• Report any issues and complaints to appropriate person.

• Receipt, checking, preparation, safe handling, dealing with spillage and storage of biological samples for analysis (including high risk samples).
• Preparation, safe handling, dealing with spillage, storage and disposal of reagents and chemicals accordance with COSHH regulations.
• Identify and assess the potential risks involved in work activities and processes for self and others.

• Maintain registration with Health and Care Professions Council and adhere to the codes of conduct expected by the Health and Care Professions Councils and Institute of Biomedical Sciences.
• Maintain and promote the professional image of the Pathology, STHK and SOHT.
• Demonstrate competency in order to work autonomously out of hours.
• Maintain an awareness of developments and provide suggestions for implementation as appropriate.
• Keep the workplace and work benches clean and tidy.
• Maintain good working relations with all members or staff and to promote effective teamwork.
• Attend education and training courses as required by the Departmental Manager. To maintain knowledge of advances in relevant scientific areas, through Continuous Professional Development activities.
• Maintain and development skills in Clinical Biochemistry, to enable participation in departmental rotation.
• Trained in the use of the Quality Management System.
• Keep up to date records of own development review process.

• Ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189
• Comply with good laboratory practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189.
• Undertake work file management to ensure that reporting of results are carried out in a timely fashion.
• Deputise for a Senior Biomedical Scientist in their short-term absence.
• Advise the Senior Biomedical Scientists with stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock level, or take appropriate action.
• Comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information.
• Use the Pathology computer System according to the authorised protocols.
• Enter own results and those obtained by others into Telepath.
• Check and correct, if necessary, information input by other laboratory staff.
• Maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases.
• Use Trust wide IT systems as appropriate following trust policies, guidelines and procedures.
• Assist in the audit of data held on the pathology laboratory information system.
• Use available automated facilities for checking the data/information and for resolving difficulties in using applications.
• Find and provide requested data/information using agreed procedures and formats.
• Report the data/information clearly in the required format at the time agreed.

• In conjunction with the Senior Biomedical Scientists responsible for the day-to-day supervision, education and training of trainee BMS, Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA) and Support Workers.
• Assist the Senior Biomedical Scientists with supervision, mentorship, training, development and competence assessment of trainee and probationary Biomedical Scientists, MLAs, Support Workers and locum staff.
• Assist as required by the Departmental Manager in the organisation of, and participation in the formal training programmes for BMS, Trainee BMS, MLAs and Support Workers.

• Participate in departmental clinical trials, audit, research and development programmes.
• Undertake method and laboratory instrument evaluation as directed by senior laboratory staff.

This advert closes on Monday 14 Oct 2024