Applications are invited from enthusiastic individuals to join our team as a full time Healthcare Science Assistant in Cellular Pathology at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. The Department provides Histology, Cytology and Mortuary services. It is purpose-built within a prime City-centre location, offering an attractive career opportunity.
A Healthcare Science Assistant (HCSA) is part of a clinical support team in a hospital laboratory whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
The HCSA will use practical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received, filing of slides/sample blocks and some basic pathological tests under the supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
Applicants should meet the essential requirements with experience of working in a laboratory. The laboratory core working hours are from 7am and 6pm, some flexibility in shift patterns may be required to support service needs. Participation in a Saturday rota will also be required.
This post will provide a range of duties to support the cellular pathology team across the reception, dissection, slide production, archive, cytology, neuropathology and immunohistochemistry sections of the department.
• Interview Date: Friday 14th March
• 37 hours 30 minutes/week
• You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
This post will provide a range of duties to support the cellular pathology team across the reception, dissection, slide production, archive, cytology, neuropathology and immunohistochemistry sections of the department.
• Receipt and processing of patient samples, which include anatomically identifiable body tissues and fluids
• Assisting Biomedical Scientists and Pathologist during specimen dissection
• Slides from patient samples for issue, Sorting, transport and filing of blocks and slides from patient sample
• Inputting data into Laboratory Information Systems (APEX), machine maintenance
• Restocking of laboratory consumables and reagents
• Discard of laboratory waste
• Other general laboratory duties supporting Biomedical Scientists and Medical Staff in preparing patient samples for diagnosis.
Our staff oversee over 2 million patients ‘contacts’ each year, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
A Healthcare Science Assistant (HSA) is part of a clinical support team whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
The HCSA will use practical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received and some basic pathological tests under the supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
To assist in the preparation of specimens for analysis, including booking in patient and specimen details, storing, retrieving and disposing of specimens.
To carry out, under supervision, some laboratory procedures (e.g. embedding, microtomy of simple cases,) and the operation of laboratory equipment e.g. microtome, Faxitron X ray machine, cassette labelling machine, slide staining machine.
Label stained microscope slides and match them to correct request form
Match labelled tissue cassettes with request form.
Filing and retrieval of slides and tissue blocks both in the laboratory and at the offsite archive.
Record on request form dictated specimen details during the dissection of tissue samples by medical and scientific staff.
To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors.
To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any noncompliances to a senior member of staff.
Ensure the risk of infection to yourself, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:
o being familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance on
infection prevention and control
o attending Trust Induction Programme(s) and statutory education
programmes in infection prevention and control
o including infection prevention and control as an integral part of your
continuous personal/professional development
o taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care acquired infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently by you and your colleagues
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
This advert closes on Tuesday 4 Mar 2025
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About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .