Senior Biomedical Scientist

Job description

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. 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.

Barts Health supports the Pregnancy Loss Pledge and commits to supporting their staff through the distress of miscarriage.

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.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the NHS East & South East London Pathology Partnership (ESEL) Haematology Department in our journey to excellence. We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Biomedical Scientist with a positive attitude, proven leadership abilities, a positive outlook, and a strong commitment to patient care by participating in a 24-hour Agenda for Change shift system. The successful candidate will be primarily based at The Royal London Hospital site (RLH) but may be expected to cover and support other ESEL sites depending on service demand. You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Red Cell Haematology section with core responsibility for the partnership's Haemoglobinopathy services and will collaborate with Operational Leads to drive service innovation and transformation. The department serves a diverse patient demographic and participates in the NHS Antenatal Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Screening programme, utilizing Bio-Rad Variant II analysers. Additionally, the department utilises Winpath LIMS and Sysmex equipment for Haematology and Coagulation across all ESEL sites

Main duties of the job

The post holder is responsible to the Operational Lead of the site and is required to carry out/ supervise technical and scientific work in the section. They will practice as a HCPC registered Senior Biomedical Scientist providing a patient focused, cost effective and efficient service.
Duties will include the management of Biomedical Scientists (BMS), Associate Practitioners (AP) and Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA) within the section involving the training and supervision of unqualified staff, whilst taking charge of the day-to-day operations of the section within the laboratory.
Flexible hours including weekends and bank holidays will be required within the contracted 37.5 hours per week in accordance with Agenda for Change (AfC) Terms and Conditions handbook. The post holder must participate in the departments AfC shift systems.
The post holder must be conversant with the technologies and methodologies specific to the core and specialist sections and will be required to rotate through the various sections of the laboratory and work at different Barts Health networked laboratories.
The post holder must be able to demonstrate proficiency and competence in the designated work area to an agreed expertise level and will ensure regular CPD participation is being met to fulfil competence to practice for their own professional registration.

Working for our organisation

The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership is an arms-length organisation providing pathology services to Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The Pathology Partnership is hosted by Barts Health.
The Pathology Partnership was formed in May 2021. Between 2021 and 2024 the Partnership undertook a complex transformation programme to establish a single network of laboratories, underpinned by a single Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and single Quality Management System (QMS).
The Partnership has a main hub laboratory at the Royal London Hospital and Essential Service Laboratories (ESL) as a minimum at the six other hospital sites served by the Partnership.
The Partnership has three operational divisions:
• Blood Sciences including Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry
• Microbiology and Virology
• Cellular Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics
The 2024/25 total operating costs across the Partnership were c. £121m per annum with a workforce establishment of circa. 860 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 the Pathology Partnership and Barts Health at this band

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• MSc. Biomedical Science or IBMS Special Examination (Fellowship)
• Holder of the IBMS Certificate of Competence, Registration Portfolio.
• Registration with the Health Care Professions Council
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development.

Desirable criteria

• Management/ Quality training
• Knowledge of higher specialist but relevant area

Experience

Essential criteria

• HCPC registration in diagnostic Haematology & Blood Transfusion.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of effectively managing staff
• Experience of teaching staff

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Advanced scientific knowledge for relevant discipline
• Detailed understanding of UKAS, Quality Management Systems
• Good understanding of Health & Safety Legislation
• Good understanding of Governance Requirements.
• Detailed knowledge of MHRA legislation

Desirable criteria

• Advanced Q-Pulse user BBTS Specialist Certificate in Transfusion science practice

Skills

Essential criteria

• Competent in quality management techniques.
• Basic computer literacy
• Good verbal and written communication skills, and able to communicate effectively with staff
• Ability to analyse, interpret and present data/results/concepts

Desirable criteria

• Good keyboard skills
• Polite, helpful and confident manner

Other

Essential criteria

• Reliable, responsible person.
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to perform required duties with any appropriate aids or adaptations
• Respects confidentiality.
• 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

Desirable criteria

• Previous NHS experience.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Adaptable and flexible.

Visa Sponsorship Information

This role is subject to UK immigration requirements. Where sponsorship is required, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa in accordance with current UK Visas and Immigration rules, including any salary, qualification, and role-specific requirements applicable at the time of appointment. Candidates who require sponsorship will only be considered where the post is eligible and where all sponsorship criteria can be met. Evidence of the right to work in the UK will be required before appointment. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.

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 where staff treat one another with dignity and respect. We aim to create an equitable working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential.

As an Equal Opportunities Employer we actively support applications from individuals' who apply under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and will process your application as appropriate.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful.

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to Barts Health NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Barts Health is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and to child protection. The Trust aims to ensure as far as is possible that anyone, paid or unpaid, who seeks to work in our organisation and who gains access to children, is safe to do so. As such, you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Check as part of the recruitment process if appointed to a post with direct access to children or vulnerable adults.

Barts Health promotes active travel as part of its goal to reach Net Zero. Each site is accessible by public transport and the Trust has a cycle to work scheme and some sites have Brompton Hire Pods.

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