Job summary

An opportunity has arisen for a Higher Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) to work within the Haematological Malignancy diagnostic laboratory (HMDN) here in Nottingham.

We are looking for a highly motivated member of staff with good teamwork and communication skills who is committed to being part of a quality driven service.

The post holder should have excellent time management skills and be able to put these into practice to maintain efficient workflow within the department.

Main duties of the job

The post holder's main responsibilities will involve day to day administrative and pre-analytical duties.

The post holder will be required to work in specimen reception and perform pre-analytical tasks including booking in of samples, preparation of bone marrow slides and organising the sending of samples to external laboratories.

In addition to this the role will contain a significant amount of administrative duties including data entry into the laboratory LIMS system, preparation of MDTs and dealing with telephone enquiries.

The HMDN department is operational between 8am and 6pm with core working hours between 9am and 5pm. The post holder may be expected to participate in early and late shifts.

Please refer to the job description and person specification attached to the advert for the full details of the vacancy.

About us

With over 20,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

The HMDN department is part of Cellular Pathology and provides a regional diagnostic service for the diagnosis of Haematological malignancies.

The department receives a variety of specimens including bone marrows, bloods and fluids and performs investigations in conjunction with other disciplines to produce an integrated report.

The service is quality driven and compliant with UKAS ISO15189 standards and we strive to maintain this in the future.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Perform basic laboratory analytical assays or techniques according to the departments Standard Operating Procedures. This includes preparing, staining and coverslipping glass slides and assisting the biomedical scientists in flow cytometry.

Participate in other laboratory based activities including Quality Assurance systems and the maintenance, calibration and use of laboratory instrumentation

Assist in the coordination and training of MLA staff as appropriate

Demonstrate laboratory procedures to colleagues as part of the Directorate training programme

Perform sample reception duties including receiving, sorting, labelling, bar coding and racking of samples on arrival

File, archive and retrieve samples, dispatch samples to referral sites as appropriate

Perform clerical tasks including data input of patient demographics and request details and the filing, copying and retrieval of request forms

Where applicable, accurately enter results or other information onto the Pathology IT system

Answer telephone enquiries and perform visitor reception duties

Prepare and collate information in preparation for MDT meetings

Perform general house-keeping duties including safe disposal of waste, general cleaning and tidying and laundry management

Perform basic laboratory equipment cleaning and maintenance

Maintain stocks of laboratory supplies including ensuring adequate supplies of general laboratory items

Prepare simple solutions, reagents and quality control materials

Distribute request forms, sample bottles and other consumables to users

Participate in, review and evaluate personal learning and training activities via the Personal Development Review process

Comply with Trust policies and national legislation regarding confidentiality of patient information, the Data Protection Act 1998 and Health and safety law.

Work flexibly and undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade as required.

Participate in Joint Annual Personal Development Review with line Managers.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• GCSE or equivalent qualifications
• Previous experience in a clinical laboratory

Desirable

Skills

Essential

Desirable