Phlebotomist | East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust; Ashford; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A major healthcare provider in the UK seeks compassionate Phlebotomists for full-time and part-time roles across multiple sites including Ashford and Margate. Responsibilities include providing blood samples, ensuring specimen accuracy, and assisting patients during procedures. Candidates must be flexible and ready to work on a rota that includes weekends. Opportunities for professional development are available, and the role requires compassionate individuals committed to patient care.

Qualifications

• Ability to work compassionately and care for patients.
• Meticulous attention to specimen labeling.
• Ability to assist patients experiencing difficulties.

Responsibilities

• Work on wards and within Phlebotomy Suites as required.
• Label all specimens accurately.
• Collect samples for Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests.
• Maintain confidentiality with patient details.
• Report incidents to Senior Phlebotomist promptly.

Skills

Compassionate care

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Flexibility

Job description

The Phlebotomy service supports Pathology, general practitioners, community healthcare and private hospitals in east Kent, providing blood samples from the patients of EKUHFT, to the laboratories. Full‑time and part‑time Phlebotomist roles are available at our 3 acute sites: William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in Ashford, Kent & Canterbury Hospital (K&CH), and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate. Post holders will be on a rota and required to work across Monday to Friday 8‑5, Saturday and Sunday mornings 7‑11. You will be expected to participate in the team weekend and bank holiday rota according to the site service. Please specify on your application which site(s) you are interested in and how many working hours per week.

Phlebotomists provide a service to the wards and clinics at William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in Ashford, QEQM in Margate and Kent and Canterbury Hospital (K&CH). Additional phlebotomy outpatient clinics are held at Buckland Hospital in Dover and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone.

Progression through the pay scale from band 2 to band 3 will occur after completion of 1 year in post. It will be subject to the post holder demonstrating the required standards of performance, conduct and completion of statutory and role specific training.

Responsibilities

• To be compassionate and caring as a member of our front‑line Phlebotomy Team.
• To work both on the wards and within the Phlebotomy Suites as required.
• To be flexible and be a team player.
• Label all specimens, paying meticulous attention to accuracy and clarity of writing.
• Collect samples for Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests as appropriate.
• Ensure work areas are adequately stocked with consumables from Laboratory stores and inform senior staff to make them aware of deficiencies.
• Maintain utmost confidentiality at all times when handling patient details – implications of specific tests must not be discussed with patients.
• Give assistance to patients experiencing difficulties, e.g. those becoming unwell during blood taking.
• Report accidents / incidents to patients arising in the course of blood taking immediately to a Senior Phlebotomist and Transfusion Practitioner and complete appropriate documentation promptly.
• Ensure that all work areas and equipment are cleaned daily, and all spillages are cleared in the correct manner immediately.
• To be mindful of our appointment times and try to work within these to prevent delays.

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is ‘great healthcare from great people’. Everything we do is guided by our values: ‘People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called ‘We care’ – it’s about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day‑to‑day. We’re looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Kent and Medway Pathology Network (KMPN) is a formal partnership of seven laboratories across three pathology services in four acute Trusts. Our 1000 colleagues provide services across the health and care sector to a population of nearly 2 million. We are at an exciting point in our network development with a recommendation to form a joint venture across the four Trusts leading transformation. Our projects include single IT solutions, procurement and digital projects, to ensure our services are able to meet growing demand for our service users, patients and communities. KMPN offers a fantastic opportunity to grow your career in KMPN. We are developing a network academy, a platform for all network education and training from apprenticeships to advanced clinical and scientific qualifications with a single faculty making best use of our talented educators and trainers. You will not be expected to work at sites outside of EKHUFT. However, there will be opportunities for collaborative working within the network.

Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in ‘Documents to download’. If you have further queries please don’t hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below. Kindly note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for BMS roles Band 6 and above.

This advert closes on Sunday 4 Jan 2026.