We are looking for a Band 6Biomedical Scientists to join the team at Dorset County Hospital. An enthusiasm and interest for all areas of Microbiology, including bacteriology, virology, parasitology and mycology is required, as well as an understanding of the importance and value of the regulatory requirements.

Main duties of the job

• To produce accurate and timely Microbiology results from clinical samples in accordance with the policies, protocols and quality standards.
• To ensure that clinically significant and urgent results are dealt with in a timely fashion.
• To be able to rotate around all areas of the laboratory, including serology.
• To provide specialist advice to clinicians about the appropriateness of tests and turnaround times.

• To participate in the Microbiology out-of-hours service.

About us

Dorset County Hospital Foundation NHS Trust is the leading provider of healthcare in West Dorset, and the Microbiology department provides a full diagnostic service to the acute hospital, as well as the community services in the West Dorset area. You would be joining a friendly, welcoming and committed team of approximately 25 staff. Automation in the department includes a Bactec Fx, Roche E411, Vidas 30, Vitek 2 and a Cobas 4800.The post holder will work with the other members of the department to maintain and develop a quality, timely and patient focused Microbiology service for the local population.

The Department follows a 7 day working roster which the post holder will be expected to support including the on-call rota.

This is an exciting time to join the pathology team in Dorset. We are currently making great progress with our vision to create a first class integrated pathology service for Dorset.

The 'One Dorset Pathology' service for Dorset County Hospital, Poole Hospital and The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals will provide clinicians, patients and carers with a consistent and high standard of service across the area and maximise efficiency in the use of resources.

Staff will be able to develop to their full potential and substantial investment has been agreed, offering opportunities for service development and state-of-the-art modernisation.

Job description

Job responsibilities

• COMMUNICATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
• Communicate with laboratory personnel, medical, nursing and other hospital staff, General Practitioners, visitors and other scientific and healthcare professionals as necessary. There may be occasional contact with patients on the telephone or in person.
• Act as a mentor for Medical Laboratory Assistant, Band 5 and trainee Biomedical Scientists.
• Provide and receive information that is of a complex scientific nature.
• To liaise with colleagues to ensure that the work of the laboratory is coordinated.
• To transmit results by the most appropriate means, e.g. electronically, via paper or telephone.
• Knowledge Training and Experience
  
  • Maintain and is able to demonstrate a level of practical competence consistent with the requirements of Standards of Proficiency for the (HCPC).
  • To seek to maintain high professional standards through continual professional development (CPD).
  • To contribute to the maintenance of a safe working environment, work in a safe manner and maintain standards of conduct and working practise in accordance with laboratory Health & Safety policies.
  • Maintain Essential skills as defined by DCHFT for non-clinical staff
  
  Responsibility for Patients
  
  • No direct contact with patients, but telephone contact with clinicians and other medical professionals.
  • Provide a highly specialist diagnostic service, including the use of specialist equipment.
  • Undertake specimen processing including serum separation, labelling and inoculation of clinical samples. This will include body fluids that maybe high risk, for example HIV or TB.
  • Undertake more complex sample processing under specialised conditions, e.g. containment level 3 facilities.
  
  Responsibility for Policy and Service Development
  
  • Ensure policies and procedures are followed.
  • Contribute to service development through participation in research, and evaluation and implementation of laboratory methods/techniques.
  • Participate in the review and update of Standard Operating Procedures.
  
  Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources
  
  • Operate and maintain laboratory equipment including automated analysers and microscopes.
  • To contribute to decisions about new or replacement equipment, services or methods.

Responsibility for Staff

• Provide supervision for new and junior staff within Microbiology.

Responsibility for Information Resources

• Record and collate test results, equipment data, quality assurance data, and use IT systems to generate and report results.
• Documentation in accordance with UKAS, HCPC and Trust requirements.

• Use other IT systems as necessary, e.g. ICE and PAS.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• To participate in projects and basic research as required.

• To undertake audits after training and as required.

Physical Skills

• Accurate hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity for working with delicate instruments, e.g. microscopes.
• Precise handling of viable micro-organisms following safety procedures.
• To handle reagents and chemicals following safety procedures.

• Standard keyboard skills.

Analytical & Judgement Skills

• To establish the presence of infection through the enumeration and differentiation of e.g. white cells and bacteria and/or antibody/antigen detection.
• To discriminate relevant pathogens from mixed cultures, deciding the correct tests required, through highly developed knowledge of Microbiology.
• Establish the significance and identification of bacteria, mycological, parasitic and/or virological pathogens using highly specialised manual, semi-automated and fully automated analytical techniques.
• Identify antibiotic susceptibility/resistance patterns for appropriate treatment of microbial infection, using defined guidelines and referring anomalies to senior BMS staff and/or clinical microbiologists.
• Participate in quality audit, reporting non-conformance and ensuring maintenance of the quality system and compliance with accreditation standards, thus maintaining and improving quality standards within the department.
• Participate in external and internal quality assurance, including evaluation of quality controls and associated results.
• Responsible for notifying senior staff of errors, problems and other system failures relating to service delivery.
• Report incidents promptly according to protocol
• Authorise results directly to clinicians following the operating procedure designed by the clinical microbiologists.

Planning & Organisational Skills

• To perform specimen reception tasks, including receiving, sorting and distribution of specimens from patients checking specimen details against request forms.

• Receive and process critical samples requiring legal process continuity.
• Prioritise and manage own day-to-day work through liaison with senior staff.
• Support the supervision of laboratory assistants by providing advice and guidance.
• Provide training to all staff in the department where appropriate.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• IBMS accredited BSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent.
• IBMS Specialist Portfolio in Medical Microbiology.
• Professional registration with HCPC
• Evidence of involvement in ongoing training and development relevant to the post.

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrate at least two years of recent post registration experience in an HCPC approved Microbiology laboratory.
• An in depth knowledge and understanding of operating procedures and techniques in diagnostic Microbiology.
• Understands and can apply the principles of good laboratory management.

Desirable

• Demonstrate understanding of the Microbiology of disease and their processes.
• Awareness of accreditation requirements and quality management systems.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of accreditation standards, for example UKAS.
• Good manual dexterity
• Understands, can perform and can teach others all aspects of routine Microbiology
• Ability to accurately follow and convey to others verbal and written instructions, including complex protocols and procedures.
• An understanding of quality requirements.
• An understanding of the importance of confidentiality.
• Able to work as part of team.

Desirable

• Ability to prioritise own workload, to delegate appropriately and manage time effectively.
• Appropriate IT skills.
• Knowledge and experience of audit
• Ability to recognise problems and to instigate corrective actions
• Participation in CPD
• Reliable, conscientious and punctual
• Enthusiastic about work and profession
• Self-motivated with a willingness to learn.
• Willingness to support the out of hours service

Employer details

Employer name

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Dorset County Hospital

Dorchester

DT1 2JY

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

405-23-A651SBS