Medical Laboratory Assistant - Blood Sciences

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust; Bristol; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a motivated Medical Laboratory Assistant to join their team in Bristol. The successful candidate will be involved in collecting and processing laboratory samples, contributing to patient diagnosis and treatment. The role offers a variety of responsibilities including specimen reception and analysis, storage of samples, and maintaining laboratory supplies. With a commitment to staff welfare and diversity, this position promises an engaging work environment and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Commitment to professional development

Diverse and inclusive workplace

Access to a variety of clinical services

Qualifications

• Ability to process and analyze samples accurately.
• Experience in a laboratory environment is beneficial.
• Understanding of health and safety regulations.

Responsibilities

• Collecting, sorting, prioritising and processing samples.
• Performing specimen reception and checking labels.
• Analysis of samples under supervision.
• Storing samples appropriately.
• Retrieving consumables from stores.
• Maintaining safety regulations and training.
• Responding to incoming telephone calls.

Skills

Good communication skills

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Ability to work under pressure

Tools

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)

Job description

A Vacancy at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

The Laboratory Medicine department has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated Medical Laboratory Assistant to join our team. The post holder will be working within Haematology, Clinical Biochemistry and Specimen Reception. The holder will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of patients within the hospital by providing technical, scientific and data entry assistance to the Biomedical Scientists and other Departmental staff. The post holder will take part in the shift rota which includes weekend and night shifts.

The working pattern in this role is rota based. Therefore your contracted hours of 37.5 per week (full time working equivalent) will be calculated across a rota period of 13 weeks in accordance with agenda for change. Dependent on the needs of the service, your total working hours will fluctuate due to the different length of time of the shifts, however as part of rota management your shifts will balance to be within your contracted time.

The post holder will be part of a team providing a diagnostic Blood Sciences service to the Trust. The team comprises Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA), Biomedical Scientists, Associate Practitioners, Clinical Scientists, Healthcare Scientists, clerical staff and Medical staff. In addition, you will interact with other staff in the Directorate.

This job advert may close early if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been submitted.

Responsibilities

• Collecting, sorting, prioritising and processing of samples in a busy environment while maintaining good working relationships with colleagues and service users.
• Specimen reception – activation of requests and checking that request forms and specimens are labelled according to laboratory policy.
• Under supervision, analysis of samples received for testing.
• Storing of samples following completion of analysis into the appropriate storage system.
• Retrieval of consumables and reagents from the stores, advising the senior BMS when the stock becomes low.
• Use of laboratory information management system (LIMS).
• Use of the laboratory consumables ordering system to ensure stocks of reagents and consumables are maintained.
• To observe all applicable safety regulations and attend any mandatory and statutory training as required.
• To undertake such training as necessary to enhance and to improve performance within the Department.
• To respond professionally to incoming telephone calls.
• To liaise regularly with section heads/seniors to ensure the smooth running of the sections.
• Order, receive and store consumables & general goods delivered to the laboratory.
• Other duties as directed by the Department Manager or technical staff

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description attached to this vacancy.

This advert closes on Thursday 4 Dec 2025.