Medical Laboratory Assistant - Blood Sciences

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a motivated Medical Laboratory Assistant for their Haematology Department. The role involves processing blood samples, data input, and preparation for analysis. Candidates should have a good standard of education and strong communication skills; training is provided for those without lab experience. Generous benefits including NHS Pension and holiday allowance are offered.

Benefits

Access to the NHS Pension Scheme

27 days holiday rising to 33 days

Generous relocation package

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning and development opportunities

Discounts on shopping and services

Qualifications

• Good standard of general education required.
• Previous experience in an NHS pathology laboratory is desirable but not necessary.

Responsibilities

• Processing blood samples for Haematology clinic patients.
• Data inputting of patient information and test requests into the laboratory computer system.
• Preparation of samples for analysis.

Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Ability to learn new tasks

Education

GSCE grades A-C or equivalent in Maths and English

Formal or vocational lab-based qualification

Job description

Go back York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Medical Laboratory Assistant - Blood Sciences

The closing date is 26 October 2025

We are seeking an enthusiastic and well-motivated individual to work as a Medical Laboratory Assistant in the Haematology Department at York Hospital.

Working as part of our friendly and hardworking team, the successful candidate will assist in ensuring an efficient, timely, and high-quality service for our patients and service users.

The applicant should have a good standard of general education as well as excellent written and verbal communication skills. Applicants should be able to demonstrate organisational skills, attention to detail, a basic knowledge of computers and an ability to learn new tasks. Previous experience of working within an NHS pathology laboratory is desirable but not necessary as full training will be provided. The laboratory delivers a range of investigations, is UKAS accredited to ISO 15189:2022 and is an IBMS approved training laboratory.

If you are interested in the role and believe you hold the qualities we require, then apply today!

Main duties of the job

The role of a Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) is essential for the laboratory to provide a safe and efficient service by providing support to qualified Biomedical Scientists. The MLA role involves:

• Processing blood samples for Haematology clinic patients.
• The receipt of samples from within the hospital and surrounding GP practices.
• Data inputting of patient information and test requests into the laboratory computer system.
• Preparation of samples for analysis.
• Loading samples onto the analysers.
• Dealing with queries from Medical staff and other service users.
• General housekeeping and administrative tasks.

About us

We offer a range of benefits to support our staff including:

• Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service)
• A generous relocation package of up to 30% of salary (capped at £18k) to support with relocation expenses for hard to fill positions where relocation would be an expectation to undertake the role fully. If you would like to discuss a potential relocation package, please speak to the recruiting department/manager at interview stage.
• A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave
• Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme
• NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
• An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
• Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance from a range of providers

For further information on the fantastic range of benefits we offer please visit the Trust's dedicated Staff Benefits pages.

Job responsibilities

A full description of the role is available in the attachment: job description.

Please note that if a high number of applications are received this advert may close early. You are advised to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Working for the Trust

Across our organisation, people are guided by values that were co-developed with staff: we are kind; we are open; and we pursue excellence.

Our values play into our ambition to develop a more diverse workforce, truly representative of our communities. We welcome applications from everyone, while working with our Staff Networks - including our Race Equality, LGBTQ+, Disability and Carers Networks - to increase the number of applications we receive from different backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to make our application process more accessible to you, please contact: [e-mail].

As part of seeking to become more inclusive, we will consider requests for flexible working from the start of your employment. It may not be suitable for every role, but we will try and be supportive where we can. We would encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.

Armed Forces Friendly Employer

We are holders of the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britains Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Sound general education-ideally GSCE grades A-C or equivalent in Maths and English
• Formal or vocational lab-based qualification eg IBMS Certificate of achievement or NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in a science related subject

Experience

• Full training will be given, however, previous experience of working in a Pathology laboratory would be advantageous

Skills and Attributes

• Ability to follow instructions
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload

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

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust