Band 4 Associate Practitioner - POCT

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospital trust in Birmingham is seeking an enthusiastic Band 4 Associate Practitioner to join its Point of Care Testing (POCT) team on a fixed-term contract. The ideal candidate will assist in managing testing equipment and provide high-quality service across multiple hospital sites. Essential qualifications include GCSE in English and Maths, NVQ level 3, and prior experience in clinical laboratories. A clean driving license is necessary, and candidates must be flexible in working hours.

Qualifications

• GCSE in English and Maths.
• NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
• Experience in customer care and clinical laboratories.

Responsibilities

• Provide efficient Point of Care Testing to equipment users.
• Maintain and manage multiple testing instruments.
• Supervise and allocate work to less experienced staff.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Customer Care practices

Education

Education to GCSE in English and Maths

NVQ level 3 or equivalent

Completion of a medical laboratory assistant competency portfolio

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Band 4 Associate Practitioner - POCT

The closing date is 29 December 2025

We are offering this fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Associate Practitioner to work within Point of Care Testing (POCT) team at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB). This is offered on a 12 -month fixed -term contract working 37.5 hours per week. The successful candidate will join our friendly and committed team at UHB who have expertise across a broad range of near patient testing and provide high quality of service to the hospitals and community. The post holder will be expected to work primarily between Monday to Friday and participate on Saturday, Sunday, or Bank Holiday sessions on a rotational basis. There is an enhanced pay for unsocial hours in line with Agenda for Change.

You will be part of the expanding Point of Care team which manages multiple instruments across multiple sites at UHB. This post will be suitable for a person who likes to get out and about the hospital sites to meet a variety of staff grades. A clean driving licence and access to a car is essential.

The team assist in maintaining and managing numerous pieces of equipment including Blood Gas analysers, Full Blood Count analysers, Glucose & Ketone meters, INR & D‑Dimer monitors, TEGs, HemoCue & HbA1c analysers, Pregnancy & Urinalysis readers and Flu/ COVID‑19 testing.

It is anticipated that the suitable candidate will have knowledge and understanding of Point of Care Testing and how this works within the NHS environment.

Main duties of the job

Successful candidate will be expected to work as part of the Point of Care Testing (POCT) team providing an efficient, cost effective and timely POCT service to equipment users. The post holder will perform a wide variety of tasks within the Point of Care department to support the clinical staff in the analysis of biological specimens. Successful candidate will also be expected to support breath test clinics.

The post holder will work independently but will follow the relevant standard operating procedures, ensure that they are implemented and adhered to as directed by the POCT Lead. There is a requirement to maintain accurate records of activities carried out and may be required to supervise, organise, train, and allocate work to less experienced staff. For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please carefully read the attached Job Description.

The post holder will be based at any of the hospital sites covered by University Hospitals Birmingham and will be expected to cover sites within the Community setting across Birmingham and Solihull. The post holder will be expected to travel to, and from these hospitals and institutions. There will be a requirement to work flexibly across the sites.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Education to GCSE in English and Maths.
• NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
• Completion of a medical laboratory assistant competency portfolio or evidence of laboratory / POCT working and competency

Experience

• Awareness of National Health Service.
• Awareness of the role of Medical Laboratories.
• Awareness of Health and Safety issues.
• Evidence of Supervisory Experience
• Understanding of the Biomedical Science role and evidence of knowledge
• Customer Care practices
• Experience of working in clinical laboratories / POCT
• Experience of laboratory techniques and automation
• Experience of dealing with the public or customer care

Additional Criteria

• Able to work as part of a team.
• Good verbal and written communication.
• Keyboard and mouse skills (word, excel).
• Manual dexterity and hand-eye co‑ordination
• Plan and prioritise own duties
• Expected to participate in all out of hours periods as required by service provision.
• Ability to handle blood and other bodily fluid samples
• Ability and flexibility to work on multiple sites as required including weekend working
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of a range of routine and more complex technical procedures

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 name

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust