Expert Scientist Dissector - Histology

NHS; Northampton; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 7 Biomedical Scientist in Cellular Pathology. The role covers dissection, macroscopic description, and tissue sampling to support accurate histology reporting and patient care.

You will work with clinical teams, maintain HCPC registration, and contribute to CPD and audits. The post requires five years in a hospital lab, IBMS ASD in Histological Dissection, and membership/fellowship of IBMS; GI dissection training

Qualifications

• Communication with legislation policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Communicate in a manner consistent with policies and procedures.

Skills

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Planning & organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Prioritising workload

Education

MSc or working towards MSc / Band 7 experience

HCPC registration

IBMS ASD in Histological Dissection

CPD portfolio & plan

Tools

Laboratory IT systems

Microsoft Office

Analytical equipment maintenance

Job description

Main area Pathology - Cellular pathology Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Shift to include late, night and weekend working) Job ref 265-8072039-CSS

Site University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Town Northamptonshire Salary £49,387 - £56,515 per annum / pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 24/09/2026 08:00 Interview date 07/10/2026

Job overview

The Cellular Pathology department receives, examines and reports upon a wide range of diagnostic tissue samples, these vary widely in terms of size and complexity. The appropriate examination, sampling and analysis is essential to accurate and timely diagnosis, particularly as many of these will be cancer cases. Due to the complex nature of this task an advanced understanding of anatomy, physiology pathology and specialised histology techniques is necessary

• The post holder will understand the distinction between normal variation in tissue and pathological disease which is essential so that incidental or unexpected findings of disease can be correctly identified and sampled.
• The post holder will hold and maintain professional registration with the Health Professions Council (HCPC) as a Biomedical Scientist (BMS).
• The post holder will exercise autonomy within professional and managerial boundaries and will be required to verify and validate completed work in their assigned subsection.
• It is essential the post holder demonstrates and maintains continuing competence which will be overseen by the Operational Manager and Consultant Histopathologists.
• The post holder will also be expected maintain an efficient workflow through effective prioritisation and use of organisation skills and problem solving.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will have a pivotal role within dissection at a large Cellular Pathology department and will assist in the delivery of a quality driven, patient focused, staff supported service consistent with pathology’s aims and objectives in a manner commensurate with the profession.

The post holder will be expected to work closely with the senior leadership and clinical teams, providing expert professional skills and advanced knowledge in the macroscopic description, dissection, and block sampling of tissue specimens to support accurate histological reporting and high-quality patient care.

The post holder will support the Advanced Scientist Dissector to provide resilience in dissection and cover RCPath category C specimens as well as GI Category D & E specimens upon training.

The post holder will provide support and training in category A – B specimens

The post holder must be registered with the HCPC as a Biomedical Scientist or Clinical Scientist and will undertake Continuing Professional Development and clinical audit.

The post holder must hold Membership (MIBMS) or Fellowship (FIBMS) of the Institute of Biomedical Science.

The post holder must possess the IBMS Diploma of Expert Practice including the GI module.

Working for our organisation

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communicate in a manner that is consistent with legislation policies and procedures.

Communicate effectively with all members of the Pathology staff, clinicians, and visitors to the department. Improve communication using communication skills and be aware of possible barriers to communication and how to overcome them. Deal sensitively with patient/ clinician enquiries in stressful situations.

Ensure confidentiality of all written verbal and electronic information. Keep accurate and complete records in line with legislation, policies, and procedures. Provide approved departmental information and advice to other healthcare professionals, patients, and the public, referring on appropriate specialist request for information outside their area of responsibility. Where required prepare and present information on equipment, processes, scientific and technical topics.

Attend and participate in departmental meetings and presentations. Effectively communicate outcomes and content of relevant meetings to team members.

Share information and best practice to improve levels of service provided by Pathology.

Maintain and promote the professional image of Pathology, laboratory medicine and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust.

The post holder will be expected to dissect, describe and select appropriate areas for microscopic examination for both simple and some complex specimens (as defined by category).

Category C (Moderate Complexity)

Category D (High Complexity)

Category E (Very High Complexity) Gastrointestinal Dissection

• As an Expert Scientist Dissector, the post holder will demonstrate and provide a wealth of knowledge to junior staff and be instrumental to the development of their dissection skills.
• An Expert Scientist Dissector is part of a clinical support team whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high-quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment. They will apply highly specialised professional judgement, scientific knowledge and practical skills to complex problem solving and Quality control issues and ensure that corrective actions are instigated in the event of non-compliance.
• The post holder will use highly specialised knowledge to advise service users on laboratory protocols and convey information in a concise and clear manner that will be of help to service users in formulating patient care plans and management.
• The Expert Scientist Dissector will advise service users of the suitability of methods of fixation and preparation and will work to ensure timely delivery of fully completed requests.

Key Competencies/Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Years experience in dissection and what categories

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years working experience in a hospital laboratory to include operation and maintenance of analytical equipment and quality indices. Experience of co‑ordinating day to day laboratory activities.
• Experience of current platforms in use. Technical understanding of analytical platforms for routine patient sample testing and clinical understanding of data produced by such testing.
• Experience of IQC/EQA and its use.
• Experience of other quality activities such as auditing and change control.
• Experience in expert dissection to include GI
• Experience of working in a UKAS 15189 accredited laboratory.
• Experience of portfolio supervision.
• Experience of resource management – staff, reagents, and consumables.

Educations, Training and Qualifications

• MSc or working towards an MSc qualification or experience of working in a Band 7 capacity.
• HCPC registration.
• Active CPD portfolio and plan.
• IBMS Advanced Specialist Diploma (ASD) in Histological Dissection

Skills

• Oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to transmit information to other healthcare professionals.
• Effective interpersonal skills.
• Analytical skills.
• Able to perform a wide range of complex analytical techniques.
• Maintenance and troubleshooting on analytical equipment and assay issues.
• Perform and review QA, including reports and interpret within scope of practice.
• Planning and organisational skills.
• Prioritise own workload that will include several ongoing tasks.
• Supervise and organise a team of Biomedical Scientists and Biomedical support workers.
• Basic IT skills to include use of Microsoft Office package.
• Experience of current Laboratory IT system.

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper‑acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).

We celebrate staff achievements and value the importance of working as one big team. That’s why we talk about Team NGH. It’s all about working together to provide the best possible care for our patients and supporting each other to grow and develop our skills. We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Our Excellence Values:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courageous
• Accountable

In submitting an application form, you authorise Northampton General Hospital to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record Inter Authority Transfer process should you be appointed to the post.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust recognises that staff of differing backgrounds and life experiences enrich our workforce and bring different skills and knowledge. We therefore encourage and welcome applications for our vacancies from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage