Employer: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
Town: Gloucester
Salary: £46,148 - £52,809 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 03/03/2025 23:59
Senior Biomedical Scientist, Band 7 - Virology
Band 7
Join us at an exciting time for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust! We have an ambitious plan for our journey to Outstanding and are looking for aspirational, committed individuals to join us, making a real difference to both staff and patients.
The beautiful city of Gloucester and the scenic regency spa town of Cheltenham are fantastic places to work and live.
As a hospital Trust, we are currently involved in over 100 clinical trials and studies, whilst also providing acute elective and specialist services to a population of over 620,000.
By joining Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, new colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome and a future full of opportunities and support.
Job Overview
This is an excellent opportunity for a suitably qualified and experienced Biomedical Scientist to join a large and busy UKAS-accredited laboratory.
The Microbiology laboratory is located on the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital site and provides an extensive service to two acute hospitals, smaller local hospitals, and to GPs in Gloucestershire and south Worcestershire. The current workload is 380,000 specimens a year.
Main Duties of the Job
The department has a well-equipped laboratory offering a comprehensive service including automated urine analysis, molecular diagnostics, liquid TB culture, Virology, Mycology, and Andrology.
The successful candidate will be reliable, enthusiastic, motivated, and forward-thinking. They will be able to demonstrate the necessary skills to lead a small technical team within the laboratory, together with specialist technical knowledge in serology and virology services. The post-holder will be part of the departmental senior management team.
Candidates must have current HCPC registration and substantial previous experience of working in an NHS Microbiology laboratory at a Specialist BMS level. It is expected that this experience will include a significant amount in a clinical virology or molecular department.
You will be expected to participate in the weekend and bank holiday rotas, as required by service needs.
Working for Our Organisation
The Department of Microbiology is based on the GRH hospital site in Gloucester. The laboratory provides an extensive service to the two hospitals and GP surgeries in Gloucestershire. The laboratory has a staff team of about 60 people, including scientific and medical roles. The core working hours are 08:30 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, but all staff help to provide the services outside core hours, including weekend and Bank Holiday working.
The department has a long history of training and developing staff in different roles. It is approved as a training laboratory by the Institute of Biomedical Science and has been accredited by UKAS to the ISO15189 standards.
Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
* Postgraduate qualification in Medical Microbiology or Virology, equivalent to MSc level or FIBMS
* Registration as a Biomedical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
* Substantial experience of working as a Specialist BMS in Microbiology or Virology, including significant periods of working in a clinical virology or molecular department
* Specialist training, qualifications, and experience in the relevant section(s)
* IBMS Specialist Portfolio in Medical Microbiology or Virology, or equivalent experience
Technical Roles
* To be able to work competently in the virology section, taking overall day-to-day responsibility for the service provided
* To maintain a high standard of professional competence and current knowledge of the relevant tests and service, maintaining evidence of continuing professional development
* To act as a source of specialist virology advice, providing advice to users and departmental staff where needed
* To communicate with users and external stakeholders when needed to ensure quality of service is maintained
* To use specialist knowledge to determine the relevant tests to be carried out on samples
* To use specialist knowledge in the interpretation of test results and allocation of confirmation or identification tests
* To ensure all new equipment and tests are appropriately verified or validated before use on clinical samples
* To participate in the procurement of equipment, reagents, and consumables relevant to the virology section
* To authorise results relevant to the virology section
* To ensure the safe handling and reception of samples (including those designated as high-risk)
* To ensure all work conforms to the procedures set out in laboratory policies and SOPs
* To ensure all work conforms to the standards required by ISO15189 accreditation
* To prioritise work, taking into account workload and stated urgency of requests
* To be able to use and troubleshoot the equipment used in the section, including providing training on its use
* To ensure clinically significant results are notified to the user or Consultant Microbiologist as appropriate, including the telephoning of urgent results directly to users
* To notify users of potential delays in reporting results that may impact on patient treatment
* To report issues relating to the laboratory environment or building fabric directly to Estates or to the Laboratory Manager, as appropriate
* To ensure all quality control tests are performed as required, and to prevent results being reported if QC results indicate a potential performance problem with a test
* To ensure all EQA samples are processed and reported according to laboratory protocols
* To compile and communicate a monthly EQA summary report for the section
* To ensure stocks of reagents and consumables are used efficiently and without unnecessary wastage
* To liaise with technical and sales staff of relevant suppliers
* To undertake or participate in research activities relating to the section
Supervisory Duties
* To ensure all safety procedures are followed within the laboratory
* To be responsible for staff and work allocation within the section
* To approve annual leave requests for staff
* To record sickness absence and conduct return-to-work interviews
* To undertake induction for new staff
* To undertake initial discussions with staff regarding poor or below-standard performance in the relevant section(s), referring to the Laboratory Manager where required
* To liaise with other senior staff to ensure all sections in the laboratory are adequately covered
* To undertake staff appraisals and produce personal development plans for assigned staff
* To participate in the recruitment, selection, and training of new staff
* To be a member of the Senior Staff Management committee and relevant SOP groups
* To deputise for the Lab Manager or Deputy Lab Manager, as required
* To represent the department in external meetings or conferences as required
* To ensure all relevant SOPs, work instructions, and bench guides are managed in accordance with the document control policy
* To complete risk assessments and COSHH assessments for the virology section
* To participate in the departmental audit programme, undertaking audits as required
* To collate epidemiology data and produce reports, where required
* To participate in the selection and approval of reference laboratories
* To participate in the departmental competency programme, undertaking competency assessments for the section
Person Specification
Qualifications / Experience
* BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science (or equivalent qualification)
* Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (Biomedical Scientist)
* Postgraduate qualification equivalent to MSc or FIBMS
* Previous substantial experience of working in a UK diagnostic microbiology / virology laboratory at Specialist BMS level
* Proven bench skills and demonstrable knowledge of current developments within virology
* Knowledge and experience of ISO15189 quality standards and accreditation process
* Demonstrate a commitment to service improvement and innovative practice
* Experience of supervising a bench / section in the laboratory
* Experience of managing change projects in a clinical laboratory
* Experience of working in a molecular microbiology laboratory
The health and wellbeing of our staff and patients remains the priority of the Trust. Vaccination remains the best chance we have of conquering COVID and the Trust encourages everyone to take up this offer.
Please note, this vacancy may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received, so please apply as soon as possible if you are interested. The Recruitment Team are unable to accept any applications after the position has closed on NHS Jobs.
Committed to Safeguarding Our Community
If applicable for the post, all successful candidates will be required to pay for their own Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost will be £29 (standard checks) or £46 (enhanced checks), and will be recovered through two instalments from the candidate's salary. Please contact ghn-tr.recruitment@nhs.net for further information.
The Trust is a safeguarding employer committed to the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Trust is committed to safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults, and any appointment will be subject to satisfactory clearance.
Committed to Supporting Service Personnel
As part of our commitment to support Service Personnel, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Career Transition Partnership, offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all qualifying Service and Ex-Service Personnel. To qualify for a guaranteed interview, candidates must meet the essential criteria for the post and be either a current member of the Armed Forces or be within the two-year period of resettlement. If this applies to you, please email the job reference number and your AR number to the Recruitment Team at ghn-tr.recruitment@nhs.net
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