Biomedical Science Assistant

Transformation Unit; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Sheffield is recruiting a Biomedical Science Assistant (NHS AfC: Band 2) for the Microbiology Department at Northern General Hospital. The role is full time (37.5 hours) with weekend and late-night working and a permanent contract.

We offer flexible working, annual leave, pension schemes and staff benefits while supporting your development. You will perform pre-analytical and analytical tasks under supervision, ensuring high standards and

Qualifications

• GCSE maths and English required at specified levels.
• Ability to follow Standard Operating Procedures and policies.
• Experience with basic laboratory techniques or NHS lab exposure.

Responsibilities

• Deliver basic scientific/technical procedures under supervision.
• Perform pre-analytical processing of samples including receipt and preparation.
• Store, retrieve and dispose of biological material per procedures.
• Answer queries from medical/nursing staff and other users.
• Maintain high scientific and technical standards and education.
• Adhere to Trust and department policies and maintain records.

Skills

Keyboard and basic IT skills

Effective communication skills

Health and Safety awareness

Ability to plan and prioritise work

Education

GCSE Maths and English at level D/3 or above

GCSE Maths and English at level C/4 or above or Level 2 qualification

Job description

Main area Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology. Grade NHS AfC: Band 2 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Includes weekend and late night working) Job ref 190-1940-DIR-S

Employer Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Microbiology Department, Northern General Hospital Town Sheffield Salary £25,272 pa/pro rata for part time staff Salary period Yearly Closing 12/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 20/10/2026

Biomedical Science Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 2

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes , health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.

Job overview

*** THIS VACANCY MAY BE CLOSED EARLY DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED ***

The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw (SYB) Pathology Partnership fully integrates the pathology services delivered on behalf of the Partner Trusts within the Integrated Care System (ICS) footprint; Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust.

The Pathology Partnership will provide the best possible service for patients and clinicians; improving health outcomes, delivering quality and efficiency benefits and ensuring a sustainable workforce for the longer term.

Applications are invited from enthusiastic individuals to join the team in this busy laboratory. The SYB Virology within the Microbiology department provides a complete analytical and diagnostic service that assists in the diagnosis of infections in inpatients, outpatients, and General Practitioners across SYB. It also offers specialist testing to other hospitals outside the SYBP network.

Main duties of the job

To deliver scientific/ technical procedures, under the direction of the responsible healthcare scientist practitioner.

Performs a number of healthcare science / scientific activities, under the indirect supervision/direction of a suitably qualified practitioner.

Pre-analytical processing of samples to include the receipt, preparation, and processing.

Store, retrieve and dispose of biological material according to the relevant procedures.

Deal with direct queries from Medical Staff, Nursing Staff and other Service Users including telephone enquiries and taking appropriate action as necessary.

Assist in maintaining high scientific and technical standards.

Promote and maintain a high standard of relevant education and training.

Adhere to all Trust and departmental policies.

Maintains clinical records in relation to activities carried out and may input/ interrogate test results of others.

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its employees. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

STHFT operates with a budget of £1.2 bn, has a workforce of over 18,500 employees, covers five hospital sites, provides care from over forty community settings, and has an excellent reputation for research.

As an organisation we value and respect our staff and the community we serve. We provide excellent staff benefits; this includes commitment to professional development but also many initiatives to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Pathology Partnership are invested in training, developing, and supporting staff in all aspects including academic courses from certificates of achievement, registration, specialist and higher specialist IBMS portfolios, apprenticeships and leadership and management qualifications.

We pride ourselves in enabling opportunity across all our sites to develop staff and provide a strong and sustained service for the future.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• GCSE (or equivalent) in Maths and English at level D/3 or above
• GCSE (or equivalent) in Maths and English at level C/4 or above or Level 2 qualification e.g NVQ, Apprenticeship, or some laboratory experience

Experience

• Ability to follow and work to Standard Operating Procedures and policy
• Experience of some simple laboratory techniques
• Ability to work with other colleagues to improve and develop working practices
• Previous NHS laboratory experience

Skills and Knowledge

• Keyboard and basic IT skills
• Have an awareness of Health and Safety issues
• Effective communication skills, written and oral

Personal Qualities

• Ability to plan and prioritise allocated work

The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community.

All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.