Biomedical Scientist (Point of Care Testing)-Rapid Testing
Job Title: Biomedical Scientist (Point of Care Testing)-Rapid Testing
Division: Cancer and Core Clinical Services
Band: 6
We are recruiting for a Biomedical Scientist (Point of Care Testing)-Rapid Testing who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.
Point-of-Care Testing (PoCT) is analytical testing that is performed near or at the site of a patient. It is a laboratory-medicine discipline that is evolving rapidly, expanding in both the repertoire of tests offered and their clinical applications. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the development of this service for patients at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and to join our Diagnostics and Therapies Care Group which is responsible for this service.
As a Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Biomedical Scientist, the post holder will lead a small team of Associate Health Care Scientists in delivering 24/7 Rapid Testing in acute care pathways. They will take a lead in developing the Rapid Testing service test repertoire to meet the needs of users. The team are based in the Rapid Testing Facility which is located within the Emergency Department.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will take a supervisory role to a team of Associate Health Care Scientists (AHCS) providing a 24/7 Rapid Testing service. They will be responsible for the testing, validation and reporting of laboratory results. They will be committed to working towards ISO 15189 accreditation for Medical Laboratories.
The post holder will be responsible for training the AHCS, so we are looking for someone with experience of training others in laboratory procedures.
The role will involve the testing of new PoCT devices/tests, and so experience of verification processes is desirable.
Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.
About us
Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of the Best of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.
As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy - Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and a half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.
Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.
Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:
B - Bold
E - Every person counts
S - Sharing and open
T - Together
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.
Job responsibilities
1. Working with PoCT Manager to obtain ISO 15189 (2022) accreditation for the Rapid Testing Laboratory.
2. Lead in test repertoire development and participate in evaluation implementation and delivery of new equipment and techniques.
3. Ensure that staff under their supervision adhere to the appropriate health and safety and infection control practices including working with biohazards and noxious chemicals.
4. Perform rapid molecular based tests and other analytical tests unsupervised whilst organising own work tasks.
5. Report results requiring subjective judgement and analytical expertise in a timely fashion so that they may be acted on as necessary by clinicians. Use of EPR and LIMS systems for reporting.
6. Responsibility for local Quality Management Systems (QMS). Assist in the development of standard operating procedures, policies, risk and COSHH assessments.
7. Maintain accurate and detailed records of patients results, internal quality control (IQC) data and external quality assurance (EQA) data.
8. Take responsibility for IQC and EQA for the Rapid Testing service, including receipt, handling, return of results and interpretation.
9. Responsibility for departmental audits and adherence to KPIs. Prepare and present reports to the PoCT committee.
10. Manage stock control, including ordering, rotation and acceptance testing.
11. Maintain specialised PoCT equipment including troubleshooting and liaising with external suppliers' technical teams.
12. Organise and deliver departmental training ensuring competency assessment records are maintained and are up to date.
13. Organise and maintain a 24/7 shift pattern and manage annual leave.
14. Responsible for departmental staff recruitment including shortlisting and interviewing candidates.
15. Supervise Band 4 Associate HealthCare Scientists including appraisal, sickness and performance management.
16. Arrange departmental meetings and provide reports for governance meetings.
17. Communicate any issues affecting the department to the PoCT Manager.
18. Fulfil all relevant mandatory and statutory requirements.
19. Cover Associate Healthcare Scientist shifts as required.
20. Participate in personal training offered, including maintaining mandatory CPD requirements for HCPC registration, and keep up to date with current practice.
21. Communicate in person and by telephone with all stakeholders enquiries.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* IBMS approved Biomedical Sciences Degree
* Registration with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
* Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
* IBMS specialist portfolio and/or MSc in a relevant subject
* Level 3 management qualification or higher
Knowledge
* Working to ISO 15189 standards for Medical Laboratories
* A thorough knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of the chosen discipline, including automated techniques and interpretation of results.
* Health and Safety legislation and procedures within a clinical laboratory
* Demonstrate recent knowledge of advances in point of care testing and management.
* Knowledge of molecular techniques used in clinical laboratories
* Pulse or similar quality management system.
* Recruitment processes including Trac system or similar.
* UK working time directive (WTD) and shift patterns
Experience
* Substantial laboratory experience in the applicable pathology discipline. This would be a minimum of 2 years post HCPC Registration.
* Performing verifications on new equipment/methods and preparing verification reports
* Use of specialized laboratory equipment to perform tests, including maintenance and troubleshooting.
* Validating and reporting test results on IT systems
* Processing, reporting and reviewing IQC and EQA, including raising non-conformances.
* Managing stock control and acceptance testing
* Experience of training and supervising staff
* Experience of working with molecular techniques
* Experience of working in a medical microbiology laboratory
* Experience of lone working
Skills
* Good interpersonal and communication skills.
* Confident using Microsoft Word and Excel
* Can think clearly and react appropriately under stress while remaining calm
* Capability to organise own workload and a team
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
£37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum/pro rata
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