Anatomical Pathology Technician

Transformation Unit; Chertsey; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Chertsey is seeking an Anatomical Pathology Technician (Band 5) for a full-time Mortuary Service role. The post involves admissions, viewing, post-mortem examinations, and maintaining departmental equipment with cross-site work across Berkshire and Surrey.

The role includes an on-call rota (1 in 3) from Monday 17:00 to Monday 08:00, with a 1-hour response time, and opportunities for professional development within HTA standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in mortuary services and handling deceased individuals.
• Knowledge of HTA standards and mortuary workflows.
• Ability to work across multiple sites and coordinate with pathology staff.

Responsibilities

• Assist with Admissions and release of patients.
• Prepare and manage viewing and post-mortem procedures.
• Maintain equipment and cleanliness of the mortuary.
• Participate in the on-call rota (1 in 3) with a 1-hour reaction time.

Skills

Mortuary procedures

Post-mortem assistance

Equipment maintenance

Admissions & releases

Viewing preparation

On-call rota

Education

Level 3 NVQ or equivalent

Level 4 NVQ or equivalent

Job description

Main area Mortuary Grade NHS AfC: Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (on call requirement) Job ref 323-AHP6498-ED

Employer Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site st Peters Hospital Town Chertsey Salary £33,677 - £40,996 per annum inc. HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 12/10/2026 08:00 Interview date 19/10/2026

Anatomical Pathology Technician

NHS AfC: Band 5

Job overview

To assist the Site Leads and other members of staff in the provision of a comprehensive Mortuary Service at Ashford and St Peters NHS Trust. The main base site for this post will best Peters Hospital, Chertsey. (Surrey) Cross site working for other sites in Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Service on occasion is a requirement

To provide assistant in the core mortuary services for Trust which include, but not limited to:

• Admissions and release of patients
• Viewing preparation and conducting
• Variety of post-mortem examinations including routine, high-risk, and Home Office
• Maintain equipment and cleanliness of department.

The appointee will be required to participate within the on-call rota for the Mortuary on a 1 in 3 basis. This on call will run from Monday 17:00 – Monday 08:00. The reaction time is 1 hour.

The appointee will be supported to work towards continued personal development both professionally and as part of supporting the department.

The appointee will understand the HTA requirements that underpin the foundations of modern mortuary practice.

Main duties of the job

To assist the Site Leads and other members of staff in the provision of a comprehensive Mortuary Service at Ashford and St Peters NHS Trust. The main base site for this post will best Peters Hospital, Chertsey. (Surrey) Cross site working for other sites in Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Service on occasion is a requirement

To provide assistant in the core mortuary services for Trust which include, but not limited to:

• Admissions and release of patients
• Viewing preparation and conducting
• Variety of post-mortem examinations including routine, high-risk, and Home Office
• Maintain equipment and cleanliness of department.

The appointee will be required to participate within the on-call rota for the Mortuary on a 1 in 3 basis. This on call will run from Monday 17:00 – Monday 08:00. The reaction time is 1 hour.

The appointee will be supported to work towards continued personal development both professionally and as part of supporting the department.

The appointee will understand the HTA requirements that underpin the foundations of modern mortuary practice

Working for our organisation

Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest provider of acute hospital services to Surrey residents, serving a population of 410,00 people and employing approximately 4,800 staff.

Our vision is to provide an outstanding experience and best outcomes for patients and the team. We are committed to providing continuous professional development and flexibility to deliver our workforce plan.

We are part of a collaborative Group with the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. As part of this partnership, colleagues may occasionally work across both organisations to support shared services, development opportunities and patient care.

St Peter’s Hospital delivers complex medical and surgical care, maternity and emergency services. Day and orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology and outpatient services are delivered at Ashford Hospital. Additional services are delivered at Woking Community Hospital.

Our Values provide us with the behaviours we respect and can commit to. By living our values through our everyday interactions, we can build a stronger, more resilient, and forward- thinking organisation, guiding us to achieve success and make a positive impact on how we deliver our services.

We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits and discounts.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

A. Duties and Responsibilities:

Communications and Relationships

1.To perform office functions such as communicating with service users in person or by telephone and arranging times for postmortems with Coroner’s officers and pathologists. This will include bereaved and grieving relatives, Coroner’s officers, police, pathologists, nurses, hospital-based Clinicians, bereavement officers, porters and other Trust staff.

2.To liaise with tissue and organ recovery teams always complying with the Trust consent process

3.To liaise with other trusts and local midwives with respect to transporting deceased babies from Central Delivery Suite

Analytical and judgement skills

1.To assist with the procedures required to prepare a deceased for identification and to viewing. This includes potential contact with distressed grieving relatives and legislated authorities.

2.Provision of appropriate specimen containers during postmortem examinations; accurately receive, label, store and transport specimens (Blood, urine, swabs, organs, tissues) taken for analysis and laboratory examination in a safe manner.

3.To be responsible for taking, packaging and arranging the transportation of blood, urine and other body fluids required for further analysis under the direction of HM Coroner to outside laboratories (eg Forensic laboratories). To keep an accurate up to date log on the mortuary computer and relevant paper records

4.To obtain skills to such a level as to be able to assist APT staff in the supervised reconstruction of the deceased after postmortem to an acceptable standard including packing, padding and suturing.

Planning and organisation

1.To be responsible for keeping accurate records of the deceased and their property in the mortuary register

2.To be responsible for the safe disposal of all clinical waste from the mortuary and postmortem room as required by Trust waste disposal policy including the safe bagging of dirty/soiled linen as required by the Trust’s policy on dirty/soiled linen.

3.To be responsible for ensuring the safekeeping of property and valuables of the deceased in accordance with Trust policies and procedures

4.To be responsible for acquiring clean theatre gowns, towels and disposable personal protective equipment for Pathologists and APT staff.

5.To partake in the stock checking of all the mortuary stock items. To assist with the cost-effective purchase and provision of stock in order to maintain the smooth running of the office and mortuary area.

6.Ensuring all documentation is kept up to date and correct as required for accrediting organisations, including current HTA standards and kept in accordance with departmental protocols, this includes correct disposal of relevant documents.

7.Enact re-ordering protocols if stock items fall below minimum levels, to place any order direct to Pathology Administration.

8.Use and maintain equipment within the department in compliance with departmental policy.

9.To identify and undertake any training courses that may be considered appropriate.

10.To partake in the compiling and forwarding of relevant statistics to the Mortuary Services Manager.

11.To participate in cross site cover when requested.

12.To participate in the on call rota on a regular basis.

Physical skills

1.To use hand eye co-ordination and manipulation skills in accurately numbering patient sample containers and subsequent tissue cassettes

2.Assisting during receipt and removal of bodies from the body store, including bariatric cases and managing this process under the direction of the Senior APT by liaising with funeral directors and other hospital staff according to mortuary and load management protocols and using appropriate load management equipment. Bodies can weigh in excess of 50 stone but the average weight moved on a daily basis is between 8 and 15 stone

3.To assist in the post mortem service, performing eviscerations and reconstruction to a high standard.

1.To treat all deceased with appropriate respect

Policy Development

1.To assist the Mortuary Services Manager in reviewing and formulating escalation and contingency plans, especially for peak work times (eg winter and bank holidays)

Working conditions

1.To be responsible for the thorough cleaning and decontamination of the postmortem room.

2.To be responsible, under direction, for the correct cleaning and maintenance of equipment’

3.To use appropriate personal protective equipment and clothing when dealing with dangerous substances as outlined in general and COSHH risk assessments, in particular care must be taken with formaldehyde and cleaning materials

4.To be aware of, and always comply with, Health and Safety regulations and safe laboratory practices.

5.To always comply with the requirement of the Data Protection Act

Health and Safety

1.As an employee, you also have a duty to take reasonable care of your own Health and Safety. This include ensuring that you are aware of and follow all Trust Health and Safety and infection control procedures relevant to your work and participate in relevant mandatory training and annual infection control updates. You will be expected to consistently follow high standard of infection control practice, and this include hand cleansing and aseptic techniques for clinical staff

2.To comply with lone working conditions outlined as part of mortuary procedures, ensuring the safety of self and others as per point 2 above.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Level 3 NVQ or equivalent
• Level 4 NVQ or equivalent
• able to demonstrate trust values
• able to articulate trust values

Certificate of Sponsorship
In line with UKVI guidance, we are unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship for Band 2 and Band 3 roles.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.