Associate Practitioner

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in Greater London is seeking a Laboratory Assistant within the Blood Sciences Laboratory. The role requires a BSc in a relevant subject and offers a chance to engage in routine pathology work. The ideal candidate should be methodical, organized, and possess good communication skills. Full-time, permanent role with a salary range of £33,094 to £36,195 per annum, along with opportunities for in-house training and professional development.

Qualifications

• Minimum one year experience in a busy, acute medical blood sciences laboratory.
• Experience preparing laboratory reagents for general use.
• Ability to cope with competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Perform routine pathology work in a Blood Sciences Laboratory.
• Assist in receipting and processing diagnostic specimens.
• Maintain laboratory apparatus and temperature-controlled storage.

Skills

Literate and numerate

Good communication skills

Methodical and organised

Manual dexterity

Attention to detail

Education

BSc in a scientific related subject

BMS accredited BSc in Biomedical Science

Tools

Sysmex XN

WinPath Enterprise

Job description

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen in Haematology & Blood Transfusion within the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership (ESEL). We are looking for a strong team player with a positive attitude to working in a flexible manner, committed to supporting the clinical services of the Trust and meeting the needs of our patients by participating in an Agenda for Change shift system.

Main Duties

The post holder is expected to work as part of a busy Blood Sciences Laboratory team to undertake routine pathology work and provide general laboratory assistance. Core duties involve receipting and processing of diagnostic specimens, using the laboratory IT to input and extract information. The role involves basic laboratory procedures and pre‑analytical processing of diagnostic specimens, analyser operation and troubleshooting tasks. The post holder may be required to attend any Trust site in the performance of duties within this job description.

Clerical work, checking stocks and supplies and a variety of other laboratory duties are required to provide support to the Biomedical Scientists. Following standard operating procedures to ensure good laboratory practice. In‑house training is provided where the postholder will be expected to demonstrate satisfactory competence upon completion.

The post holder will also offer a helpful and professional service to all visitors and telephone callers and will assist the Department in the provision of a high quality service.

If the post holder has an IBMS accredited BSc degree he/she must be able to complete the IBMS Registration Portfolio and apply for the IBMS Certificate of Competence within 24 months.

About Us

The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership is an arms‑length organisation providing pathology services to Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The Pathology Partnership is hosted by Barts Health.

The Pathology Partnership was formed in May 2021. Between 2021 and 2024 the Partnership undertook a complex transformation programme to establish a single network of laboratories, underpinned by a single Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and single Quality Management System (QMS).

The Partnership has a main hub laboratory at the Royal London Hospital and Essential Service Laboratories (ESL) as a minimum at the six other hospital sites served by the Partnership.

The 2024/25 total operating costs across the Partnership were c. £121m per annum with a workforce establishment of circa 860 WTE. We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within the Pathology Partnership and Barts Health at this band.

Details

• Date posted: 20 January 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 4
• Salary: £33,094 to £36,195 a year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
• Reference number: 259-7749507ESEL
• Job locations: Royal London Hospital Pathology/Pharmacy Building 80 Newark Street, London, E1 1FR

Job Responsibilities

PLEASE NOTE WE ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

• BSc in a scientific related subject.

Desirable Qualifications

• BMS accredited BSc in Biomedical Science
• IBMS certificate of Achievement

Essential Experience

• Minimum one year experience of working in a busy, acute medical blood sciences laboratory environment.
• Experience preparing laboratory reagents for general use.
• Experience monitoring laboratory apparatus and temperature controlled storage units.
• Ability to cope with competing priorities.
• Ability to respond to change.

Desirable Experience

• Experience interacting with and basic operator maintenance on named equipment: Sysmex XN (Haematology), SP50 Slide maker stainer, TS‑10 tube sorter, Sysmex CS (Coagulation), Bio‑rad IH‑500 (Blood Transfusion), Bio‑rad Variant II, Sebia Capillary Flex.
• Experience using named IT systems: WinPath Enterprise (Clinisys), EPU Middleware (Sysmex), Q‑Pulse (Ideagen).

Essential Knowledge

• Understanding of the role of the assistant practitioner.
• Knowledge of patient confidentiality requirements.
• Awareness of Equal Opportunity and diversity issues.

Desirable Knowledge

• Knowledge of the requirements to safely package and dispatch biologically hazardous samples.
• Knowledge of quality assurance checks performed on samples and laboratory equipment.
• Aware of safety requirements in a laboratory.
• Aware of the quality management system.

Essential Skills

• Literate and numerate.
• Good communication skills and ability to comprehend and give clear statements that are understood by patients/staff.
• Able to follow instructions and learn standard techniques.
• Methodical and organised.
• Manual dexterity.
• Demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail, even under pressure.
• Ability to meet deadlines in a busy environment.
• Good keyboard/VDU skills.
• Physical skills: hand‑eye coordination, dexterity and manipulation.
• Able to plan, manage and prioritise own workload ensuring completion in a timely and accurate manner.

Desirable Skills

• Good keyboard skills.
• Polite, helpful and confident manner.

Essential Other

• Fully aware of the shifts required for the post to include night shifts and weekend working.
• Sufficient to perform the duties of the post with any aids and adaptations.
• Hold no reservations in handling human tissue, organs or infected material in accordance with health and safety policies.
• Willingness to undertake ‘house‑keeping’, laboratory cleaning duties.
• Able to lift up to 20 kg with help of lifting equipment.
• The post holder must be willing to have relevant vaccinations.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Employer Details

Barts Health NHS Trust
Royal London Hospital Pathology/Pharmacy Building 80 Newark Street
London
E1 1FR
Employer's website: https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk