Department of MicrobiologySpecialist Biomedical Scientist - Band 6

An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Microbiology Department at the Royal London Hospital, the hub site for the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership. We are jointly owned by Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. We are an arms-length organisation, and we have our own board and governance framework, with each of the three trusts having an equal voice and vote in the running of the Pathology Partnership. We are one of the largest pathology providers in the NHS, and we bring together the strengths of teams from each of the three trusts into a single organisation, dedicated to the provision of high quality and cost-effective pathology services.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced Biomedical Scientist, with very good scientific and technical skills in diagnostic microbiology, a high level of medical microbiology knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of quality management systems and the provision of high quality service standards.

The successful candidate must hold an accredited honours degree in Biomedical Science, have HCPC registration and have completed an IBMS Specialist Diploma in Microbiology or equivalent for appointment to band 6.

The successful candidate will be required to participate in all shift rotas including night shifts and there are a team of Biomedical Scientists working at all times. Typical shift working hours are 9am-5:30pm and shifts include starting at 8am, 9am, 11:30am and 8pm, 7 days a week including weekends and bank holidays. Shift patterns are fully compliant with the Working Time Regulations. All weekend, bank holiday and night work will form part of your contracted 37.5 hour week with appropriate rest breaks being rostered and Agenda for Change shift work payment enhancements applied.

About us

The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership is an arms-length organisation providing pathology services to Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The Pathology Partnership is hosted by Barts Health.

The Pathology Partnership is based on well-established models for pathology networks, with the Royal London Hospital becoming the main hub laboratory for the network and Essential Service Laboratories (ESL) as a minimum at all other Hospital sites.

Pathology is made up of the following services - Blood Sciences including Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry Infectious Diseases including Microbiology and Virology Cellular Pathology including Histopathology, non-gynae Cytology and mortuary services Immunology Cytogenetics and Molecular Haematology Immunophenotyping Clinical Transplantation and Retinoblastoma. [AK1]

The 2020/21 total operating costs across the Partnership were c. £126m per annum with a workforce establishment of circa. 822 WTE. We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band

Job description

Job responsibilities

Do you want to isolate /detect and identify all the interesting and novel pathogens?

Do you want to use the latest laboratory technology and diagnostics?

Do you want to continually develop and learn something new every day?

Then working for the NHS East and South East London Pathology partnership is for you!

Our vision for Pathology services is to be renowned for excellence and innovation, providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient care and consistently delivering high standards of pathology diagnostics with timely and accurate results. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

A complex transformation programme has now been completed and we now have a single LIMS fully integrated pathology network between 7 hospital laboratories. The hub and spoke operating model is centred at The Royal London Hospital and connects to Essential Service Laboratories (ESLs) supporting various clinical specialities at our partnered hospital sites.

The Microbiology hub laboratory provides a comprehensive clinical and diagnostic Microbiology service using a full range of methodologies including automated, manual and molecular-based diagnostics. Our TB and NTM service is one of the largest in the country. In Mycology we provide culture, microscopy, BDG and GM routinely. The Microbiology service continues to develop and expand to provide a wide range of diagnostic assays to meet the demands of the network and our diverse patient populations.

Currently the laboratory uses BDMAX, Wasp, Cepheid, DS2, UF5000, Mast-Uri, Virtuo, FX40, FX400, MGIT, Maldi-TOF, Elitech and maintains a molecular service providing 16S nanopore sequencing, PCP, Bordetella PCR, Atypical pneumonia PCR, Strongyloides PCR and MecA and PVL for Staph aureus. We are also implementing new diagnostics for Histoplasma and Aspergillus infections.

We are UKAS ISO15189 accredited and are a recognised HCPC / IBMS training laboratory and we actively encourage CPD and personal development.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Informal visits to the department and enquiries about this job opportunity and about working for the partnership are welcome. If you would like to find out more about this vacancy then please contact via email one of the operational leads Natalie Marshall natalie.marshall@nhs.net, Nathan North nathan.north@nhs.net or David Ball david.ball2@nhs.net.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc Biomedical Science or relevant degree accepted by HCPC.
• Completed the IBMS Specialist Portfolio in Medical Microbiology and/or CPSM blue log book registration in microbiology
• Evidence of CPD

Experience

Essential

• Band 6 requires HCPC registration as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Medical Microbiology.

Desirable

• Will have worked with a range of automated laboratory analysers and a range of testing platforms.
• Experience of having worked in a diagnostic laboratory which includes a TB and Mycology repertoire and molecular diagnostics.

Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist scientific knowledge in Medical Microbiology.
• Understanding of UKAS Quality Management Systems.
• Understanding of Health & Safety legislation.
• Understanding of Governance Requirements.
• Knowledge of EUCAST antimicrobial susceptibility testing guidelines.

Desirable

• Awareness of future technologies and pathology network service models.

Skills

Essential

• Competent in routine laboratory techniques in the Microbiology laboratory.
• Competent to use and interpret Maldi-TOF results.
• Able to analyse, present routine data / results.
• Good computer literacy.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent time management skills
• Good interpersonal & communication skills.
• Ability to work on own initiative.
• Troubleshooting skills.

Desirable

• Skills with molecular diagnostics.
• Competent to work at ACDP Containment Level 3.
• Audit skills.

Other

Essential

• Reliable, responsible person.
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to perform required duties with any appropriate aids or adaptations.
• Hold no reservations in handling human body fluids, tissue, organs, or infected material in accordance with Health & Safety policies.
• The post holder must be willing to have appropriate vaccinations
• Must be able to participate in night shifts.
• Must be able to participate in weekend and Bank Holiday shifts.
• Adaptable and flexible

Employer details

Employer name

Barts Health NHS Trust

Address

Royal London Hospital

London

E1 2ES

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

259-6717041ESEL