Medical Laboratory Assistant - Microbiology

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Hull and East Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Foundation Trust in Hull seeks Medical Laboratory Assistants to join a vibrant team. Successful candidates will perform tasks supporting Biomedical Scientists in diagnostic testing, handling clinical specimens, and assisting with general laboratory duties. The roles require reliability, teamwork, and the ability to manage diverse tasks in a busy environment. Opportunities for training and flexible working requests are available. The position offers competitive benefits and participation in NHS initiatives.

Benefits

Access to NHS Pension Scheme

27 to 33 days holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

NHS Car Lease scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Discounts from various providers

Qualifications

• Candidates must be reliable and hard-working.
• Ability to participate in late shifts and weekend rosters.
• Experience in a laboratory setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prepare clinical specimens for testing.
• Handle telephone queries from healthcare professionals.
• Perform general duties in the Microbiology laboratory.

Skills

Reliable

Hard-working

Sociable

Innovative

Tools

LIMS (Winpath)

Job description

A Vacancy at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

We are looking for 2 full time (37.5 hours per week) and 1 part time (22.5 hours per week) suitable candidates to join our busy and friendly team in Hull Microbiology as Medical Laboratory Assistants. We are looking to appoint candidates who are reliable, hard‑working, and who would welcome the challenge of joining our team.

Our department is committed to training, high‑quality diagnostics and clinical excellence. You will be joining a team of laboratory staff that delivers a medical laboratory service to the Trust and the wider region as part of the SHYPS network (Scarborough, Hull, York Pathology service). You will perform a wide range of tasks to support Biomedical Scientists performing diagnostic testing in the department. These tasks include preparation of clinical specimens for testing, handling telephone queries from other healthcare professionals, reception and admin duties, and various other technical and clerical roles. We are looking for individuals who are hard working, innovative, sociable, and work well as part of a team.

It will eventually be a contractual requirement for the successful candidates to participate in late shifts, weekend and bank holiday rosters.

The Laboratory is UKAS accredited.

The main duties of the post will be based in the Microbiology Laboratory, receiving and booking in samples into our LIMS (Winpath) system. Duties include data entry, aspects of sample preparation in addition to referral samples and answering the phone to service users and other general laboratory duties.

This position offers an excellent opportunity to work within a well‑equipped Microbiology department performing a wide range of diagnostic tests and be part of a developing Pathology network.

General responsibilities

• Complies with good work practices in accordance with the standards of UKAS and other relevant professional and legislative bodies.
• Attend and complete appropriate meetings and mandatory training.
• Maintain good working relations with all staff, and promote effective teamwork.
• Participate in weekend/bank holiday rosters as required.

Technical

• Perform work strictly in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures.
• Safe handling of blood, urine and other clinical samples.
• Store samples and reagents appropriately.
• Sort specimens and forms, identifying any problems or anomalies with samples.
• Perform general housekeeping duties, such as cleaning, disinfecting and record‑keeping.
• Deal with queries from other departments or the public, complying with relevant Trust confidentiality policies.

Laboratory informatics

• Use laboratory computer systems according to the authorised protocols – includes data input and recall.

Trust Information Pack

https://yorkhospitals.pagetiger.com/hdjgxd

Our benefits

• 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 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.

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].

Accessibility and Flexible Working

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 Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.

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.

This advert closes on Thursday 1 Jan 2026