Mortuary Medical Laboratory Assistant

CDDFT Charity; Darlington; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

An established healthcare provider is seeking a dedicated Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant to join their Cellular Pathology team. This role involves working closely with various medical professionals in a dynamic environment, handling sensitive materials with care and precision. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively in a team. With responsibilities ranging from preparing bodies for identification to managing laboratory tasks, this position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to vital healthcare services in a supportive and professional setting.

Qualifications

• Ability to handle tissue and body fluid samples.
• Experience in a laboratory or mortuary setting is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Receipt and registration of deceased patients and samples.
• Preparing bodies for viewings and police identification.
• Organizing referral work and maintaining stock control.

Skills

Communication Skills

Manual Dexterity

Attention to Detail

Computer Literacy

Teamwork

Education

NVQ 3 in Health (pathology stream)

Science and/or Math's GCSE

Science A'Levels

Tools

Laboratory Equipment

Microsoft Office

LIMS

Job description

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

We are seeking to appoint a self-motivated Senior MedicalLaboratory Assistant to join our Cellular Pathology team in the mortuary andhistology department. The successful candidate will work closely withAnatomical Pathology Technicians, Biomedical Scientists and Associate Practitioners.Following training, you will work on a rotational basis within the mortuary atDurham and Darlington Hospital and the histology lab in Durham. The ability totravel across sites is essential. Please refer to the Job Description andPersonal Specification for full details.

The ideal candidate will be a team player thatpossesses excellent communication skills, organisation and manual dexterityskills and have a keen eye for detail. Manual handling is a core part of therole. You will also have the ability to concentrate for long periods of timeand have a keen interest in pathology. You should be able to demonstrate goodkeyboard skills and be computer literate. Previous experience of working in anNHS pathology laboratory or mortuary is desirable.

Main duties of the job

Main tasks include:

Receipt and registration of deceased patients and laboratorysamples.

Release of deceased patients to funeral directors.

Entering patient details onto the laboratory computer systemand inputting the correct tests, maintaining all required logs.

Answering reception and telephone queries and liaising withother Trust staff and the general public.

Preparing bodies for the purpose of relative viewings andpolice identification.

Organising referral work, packaging and sending of samplesto other Trust sites and to other Trusts nationwide.

Stock control including receiving and receipting deliveries,documenting and organising batches of reagents and performing verificationtasks.

Perform support duties during dissection of differentsamples within histology.

Prepare cases for discussion at Multi disciplinary TeamMeetings.

Loading and unloading tissue processor machines.

Cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas.

Demonstrating duties to other staff.

Error logging and trouble shooting.

Please refer to the Job Description and PersonalSpecification for full details.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

From April 9th 2025 - Healthcare assistants - You must have a minimum of two yearsof experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to considersponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria andhave a current visa expiring within 3 months)

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and personalspecification for full details.

This Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant role (Senior MLA)involves working closely with Pathologists, Anatomical Pathology Technicians,Biomedical Scientists, Associate Practitioners and Medical Laboratory Assistants.They follow the laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and completethe relevant quality documentation as required.

Upon completion of training and gaining competency, theywill rotate throughout the specialist areas of the laboratory and mortuary.They perform duties in accordance to local policy to a high degree of standardswhilst conforming to health and safety requirements. This includes working inthe body store, and viewing room of the mortuary and histology specimenreception, MDT preparation and dissection support. They used a variety ofspecialist laboratory equipment to perform tasks and are responsible for themaintenance of equipment and completing maintenance documentation. This alsoincludes temperature, xylene and formalin monitoring.

The role requires handling of body fluids and human tissuesamples which can be of a sensitive nature. Work within the mortuary can oftenbe upsetting. Manual handling is required daily.

Stock is managed by all staff. This includes monitoringstock levels of consumables, signing for deliveries, receipting goodsdelivered, unpacking, verifying if appropriate and ensuring paperwork iscomplete before placing in appropriate storage area in an orderly organisedmanner.

Generally the Senior MLA staff assist with tasks in thelaboratory and mortuary in which they have been trained and are within theirscope of practice. They provide supervision, training and leadership to juniorstaff.

In order to perform their daily taskseffectively, a senior MLA requires the ability to focus for long periods oftime, have great attention to detail and possess the ability to organise tasksin priority order. A senior MLA also requires computer literacy skills as theyare expected to use spreadsheets, access LIMS, write SOPs and perform audits asneeded

Person Specification

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Follow protocols and instructions accurately
• Communication, verbal and written
• Microsoft Office applications
• Knowledge of procedures for viewing of the deceased

Special Requirements

• Able to handle tissue and body fluid samples
• Able to work flexibly and across site
• Able to participate in shift working, weekend working, bank holidays as required.

Qualifications

• NVQ 3 in Health (pathology stream) or equivalent
• Science and/or math's GCSE or above
• Science A'Levels

Experience

• Previous laboratory or mortuary experience
• Interaction of hospital services with external users i.e. funeral directors

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

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

£24,625 to £25,674 a yearper annum, pro rata