Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Healthcare Sciences Support Worker - Sample reception

Job summary
Are you driven, passionate individual looking to join an innovative and fast paced team in Pathology? This could be the role for you!

Working as part of a great team supporting Health and Care Professions Council Registered Biomedical Scientists. You will be working in specimen reception processing samples received from the Hospitals and General Practitioners, preparing patient samples and requests for analysis, and carrying out basic laboratory duties. In sample processing, MLA's must work to deadlines to assist in achieving defined analysis turnaround times to provide an effective clinical service to wards departments and GP surgeries and a fast response service to the emergency departments.

Specimen reception is an area which can be very busy and requires precise working, under time pressures. This requires a high level of tolerance to repetitive work. The need to maintain high levels of accuracy and attention to detail throughout prolonged periods of concentration are required. This role requires working at Blackburn and Burnley Hospital sites.

Post holder requires to participate in various shifts arranged over 24 hours including core days, weekends, nights, lates and Bank Holidays.

Main duties of the job

• Check documentation and assess suitability of samples.
• To provide the first point of contact for Blood Sciences Department for other Trust staff.
• Using agreed procedures as defined in Standard Operating Procedures, to prepare samples, for analysis and distribution to sections of the department. Including numbering samples and forms, centrifugation of samples.
• Assessment of centrifuged samples for suitability for analysis.
• Prioritisation of samples for analysis.
• Accurate input of patient details into the Laboratory Information System. Resolving issues of incorrect patient details by contact with medical staff on wards, clinics, and accessing external databases of patient information.
• Preparation of urgent samples for analysis, including demographic input into Laboratory Information system.
• Responding to general service and patient result enquiries in person and by telephone.
• Retrieval of authorised results and offering basic technical advice to other Trust staff.
• Replenishment of stocks of consumables and reagents within Blood Sciences from Laboratory stores areas.
• Preparation of basic reagents as defined in Standard Operating Procedures.
• Preparation of specimen containers for distribution.
• General housekeeping duties.
• When required, loading of samples onto automated complex analytical equipment, and some manual preparations requiring a higher level of manual skills.

About us
We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area and give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire and Cumbria.

Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients and staff, ensuring we keep thriving and delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.

You'll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people and do things you'd never have done. You'll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills and enhance your career path.

You'll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold and help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.

Details
Date posted: 12 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 2
Salary: £25,272 a year, Per Annum, Pro Rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 438-PB5048
Job locations: Royal Blackburn Hospital, Haslingden Rd, Blackburn, BB2 3HH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Sample Preparation

• Receive and sort pathology samples.
• Distribute samples to departments.
• Label samples and prepare them for analysis.
• Record and inform service users and senior staff of requests received that do not comply with the Specimen Acceptance Criteria.

Data Handling

• Enter data onto the laboratory computer system.

Housekeeping and Maintenance Tasks

• Dispose of clinical and non-clinical waste in accordance with Trust and departmental policies.
• Clean and decontaminate working areas and equipment in accordance with laboratory protocols and record such actions.
• Assist with the use and maintenance of some laboratory equipment.
• Maintain adequate stocks of consumables and ensure any stock is stored in a timely manner.

Communication

• Communicate with a limited range of staff.
• Be expected to communicate in a pleasant and caring manner at all times whilst maintaining confidentiality.
• Attend department meetings as required, to ensure an awareness of developments within the work area.
• Maintain an effective communication network; verbal, written and electronic.
• Assist in maintaining, recording and storing information, including patient records, in line with Trust policy.

Training and Development

• Training is provided and assessed in the department as defined in the Training Manual for Specimen Reception.
• Be trained to have a working knowledge of all health and safety procedures.
• Participate in the appraisal process and, as part of the appraisal, in discussion with the line manager, develop an annual Personal Development Plan to identify training and development needs in line with personal and organisational objectives.
• Develop own skills and knowledge.
• Attend mandatory training as directed.
• Assist in the training of new staff when required.

Organisational Responsibilities

• General clerical and administrative duties including scanning request forms, photocopying, filing and shredding confidential waste.
• Completing records in Specimen Reception, for example fridge temperatures in compliance with laboratory protocols.

Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain confidentiality at all times, ensuring information is only divulged to authorised sources and by appropriate means.
• Exercise independent judgement and initiative by taking appropriate action to resolve any problems when they arise.
• Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and clinical guidelines for self and others.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• 3 GCSE grade 4-9 English and Maths or equivalent.
• Proven Keyboard/PC experience.
• Ability to work different sites and as part of a flexible rota pattern covering 24/7 hours.
• Understands the need for confidentiality.
• Able to manage priorities under pressure, often repetitive jobs.
• Able to understand and comply with detailed procedures.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a busy environment.
• Experience of working in Pathology.

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.

Employer details
Employer name: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Royal Blackburn Hospital, Haslingden Rd, Blackburn, BB2 3HH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Pre Analytics Manager, 01254732399

Supporting documents
Link to Trust Website, Instagram, LinkedIn, DBS code of Practice, Privacy notice: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice

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