Job summary
NHS Band 5 Salary: £32,073 - £39,043 per annum
Hours Per Week: 37.5 full time
Contract Type: Permanent

We are seeking an enthusiastic and reliable Specialist Biomedical Scientist to join our histology team who will carry out laboratory investigations on samples of tissue to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of our patients.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be required:

• To participate in the provision of the Histopathology service, rotating in all areas of the department as required.
• To undertake preventative maintenance schedules on laboratory instruments prior to use.
• To prepare and store high-cost reagents for use in laboratory investigations.
• To perform manual and semi-automated laboratory investigations, in a safe, efficient, and timely manner including tissue transfer and some specimen dissection.
• To participate in method and laboratory instrument evaluation.
• To participate in research and development.
• To carry out the above with the aim of maximising the quality of our service and minimising the costs.
• To participate in the processing and reporting of time-sensitive Cellular Pathology samples.
• To participate in the processing and evaluation of Histopathology samples.

About us
Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.

Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veterans' status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.

Job responsibilities
The Histopathology department at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust processes around 43,000 cases, generating ~350,000 slides per year. We are UKAS accredited against ISO 15189 standards and we hold training laboratory status from the IBMS and support training where appropriate.

In addition to routine histology processing, the department undertakes immunohistochemistry, manual and automated special staining, frozen section and immunofluorescence, renal, liver and lung biopsy work and digital pathology.

Key Responsibilities
The post holder will be expected to participate in the following activities:

• Specimen reception and specimen requesting
• Decalcification, X-ray, and Bandsaw use
• Cut up assist and BMS transfers
• Processing specimens
• Embedding
• Microtomy
• H&E Staining
• Internal Quality Control
• Special staining
• Immunohistochemistry
• Molecular referrals
• Digital Pathology (Sectra PACS, using 3DHISTECH P1000 and P250 scanners)
• Laboratory Information Management System (Clinisys WPE)

For full job details and person specification please refer to enclosed job description.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• An accredited BSc Biomedical Science or equivalent.
• Current Registration as a Biomedical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Desirable

• Member of the IBMS.

Experience
Essential

• Previous experience of working in a histopathology laboratory.
• Be computer literate especially with the handling of data.
• Experience in specimen dissection and renal/liver/lung biopsy preparation.
• Experience with quality management and audit.
• Knowledge of DATIX and iPassport.
• Experience with digital pathology.
• Experience in service improvement.
• Evidence of CPD

Skills and Knowledge
Essential

• The ability to work using own initiative and without supervision.
• The ability to deal with colleagues bringing in samples for processing and to field enquiries.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Evidence of good manual dexterity and hand eye coordination.
• Demonstration of good organisational skills
• Demonstration of good interpersonal skills.
• Conscientious, methodical approach to duties
• The ability to interact directly with colleagues bringing in samples in a sensitive and respectful manner.
• An understanding of the political sensitivities of the Trust
• Ability to demonstrate confidentiality and trustworthiness.
• A willingness to be flexible and part of a team.
• Ability to demonstrate a high degree of concentration and attention to detail.
• Deal calmly and politely with members of hospital staff who are working in areas of extreme pressure.
• Ability to juggle many priorities at one time, whilst remaining calm
• Prepared to handle clinical samples.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust is an equal opportunities employer.