Quality Officer

NHS; City Of London; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in London is seeking a highly motivated Quality Officer to support the Quality Team in achieving ISO 15189 standards and maintaining UKAS accreditation across laboratory services. The role includes collaborating on quality management processes, conducting audits, and ensuring compliance with quality regulations. Candidates should hold HCPC registration and have experience in a diagnostic medical laboratory. The position offers opportunities for professional development and is located in the vibrant city of London.

Benefits

Opportunities for advanced qualifications

Supportive learning environment

Qualifications

• Experience in performing audits and investigations of adverse incidents.
• Familiarity with ISO 15189:2022 standards.
• Coaching and coordinating experience.

Responsibilities

• Support the Quality Manager in overseeing the Quality Management System.
• Collate and compile quality reports.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Skills

Leadership qualities

Quality Management Systems (QMS)

Training colleagues

Troubleshooting

Education

BSc (Hons) IBMS accredited degree

HCPC State registration as a Biomedical Scientist or Clinical Scientist

MSc or equivalent experience

Tools

QPulse

Job description

We're looking for a highly motivated Quality Officer to join the Quality Team at Synnovis Analytics. The role is based on the Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital sites and at the Synnovis Blackfriars Hub laboratories, in the Haematology and Blood Transfusion services.

Synnovis Analytics is fortunate to have a strong Quality Team, and the successful candidate will be an integral part of this team. We work together in a supportive framework to move forward quality management and governance processes within Synnovis in conjunction with our operational and clinical colleagues, within Synnovis and our partner NHS Trusts.

You will have HCPC State registration as a Biomedical Scientist or Clinical Scientist. You will hold an MSc, FIBMS or equivalent experience in a similar role, as well as experience of quality management. Familiarity with GMP regulations is also advantageous.

This role is vital to the clinical governance and risk management of the laboratory services you support. You will support the Quality Manager in ensuring these laboratory services are meeting ISO 15189 standards, MHRA requirements and in maintaining UKAS accreditation for each area. You will have a high level of responsibility to ensure the successful delivery of pathology services, in line with our corporate objectives.

Main duties of the job

The Haematology laboratories provide a comprehensive screening and diagnostic service using a range of state-of-the art technologies and manual laboratory procedures, both for Guy's and St Thomas' patients, and patients across the SE London area. The Blood Transfusion service provides a comprehensive Red Cell Immunohaematology service as well as meeting the blood transfusion needs of patients at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals. The service is a UKAS accredited medical laboratory to ISO15189:2022.

The successful candidate will support the Quality Manager in oversight of the laboratory services Quality Management System (QMS) and for monitoring and developing this in line with the central Synnovis QMS. They will be involved in training of staff in QMS tasks including internal audit, document control and management of non-conformances.

All Synnovis services use QPulse as a quality management database, so experience in the use of this software will be valuable.

The role involves collating data for regular reports on the quality management system and which will include updates on key quality indicators and presenting these reports at governance meetings.

Supporting the laboratories with UKAS assessments is a key element of the role, directing the laboratories in preparation for assessments; following up on any findings and ensuring evidence is available for submission to UKAS; and participating in assessments.

About us

Your development and learning

You will have a suite of learning opportunities available through The Synnovis Way Development programme, the Scientific Learning and Development Fund and the Synnovis Academy through which you can receive funding / support for advanced qualifications.

The Synnovis Quality Team work together to constantly share learning and experience, either through regular group meetings or on a one-to-one basis. This provides a supportive and instructive environment to develop quality management skills.

Job responsibilities

At Synnovis, we are currently shaping the future of pathology services by creating a world-leading Hub and Spoke pathology network with our NHS partners. A large part of this modernisation will involve moving 70% of our services to a purpose built, state of the art Hub laboratory in the heart of London. For now, the job you are applying for will be based at one of our hospital sites however, from 1 April 2024 our people and services will start to move to our Hub laboratory in Blackfriars, Southwark, SE1, with some work remaining in refurbished essential services laboratories across our hospital network, focusing on the rapid turnover of urgent tests. Please do ask your recruiting manager if you wish to find out more.

You will hold a variety of accountabilities in the laboratory environment. These include, but are not limited to:

Contribute to the ongoing delivery of quality management through the Quality Management System (QMS), supporting the Quality Managers as required.

Collate information and compile Quality reports.

Support the introduction of new analysers/assays/methodologies by identifying and advising on any quality related aspects, improving patient pathways and service delivery.

Take part in activities such as audits, investigations, incidents and quality assurance.

Support and lead on quality related training for all laboratory employees in your area.

Deputise for the Quality Manager including attendance at meetings, as required

Ensure compliance with all regulatory and quality requirements of regulatory directives, accreditation bodies, and local management including:

Care Quality Commission

UKAS

Synnovis policies and SOPs

Any other body in area of responsibility.

The successful candidate will:

Hold HCPC registration as a Biomedical Scientist or Clinical Scientist

Have significant experience from working in a diagnostic medical laboratory

Have experience of laboratory quality management including audits, managing non-conformances, and incident investigations

Have an understanding of the ISO 15189:2022 standard and the ability to implement the correct policies and procedures in relation to quality systems

Have experience of coaching and co-ordinating others

Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London.

The partnership provides services to 1.7 million people living in South East London, as well as to hundreds of thousands of patients from outside the region who use local healthcare services.

The partnership provides diagnostics, testing and digital pathology for hospital trusts, GP services and other healthcare providers.

Guys and St Thomas Hospital Foundation Trust is a major emergency and specialist teaching Trust which has all the specialties associated with a fascinating and career defining case load including: Womens Services, Fetal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Transplantation, and is also home to the Evelina Childrens Hospital and the Cancer Centre on the Guys site.

You will be close to the vibrant Borough Market and the South Bank, which are exceptional London locations; perfect places to work and relax next to such iconic venues as Big Ben, The London Eye and The Shard!

The hub is an eight-storey building, and we are working across 10 floors including the ground and lower ground floors. Synnovis corporate function operates from the hub on the 8th floor, above the laboratories underneath. This is a total net internal area of almost 10,000m squared across the 10 floors.

Based in Blackfriars, its less than a 5 minute walk from Southwark Tube or Blackfriars station and nestled closely to a vast array of entertainment and fabulous places to dine, relax and meet people.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) IBMS accredited degree or equivalent
• HCPC State registration as a Biomedical Scientist or Clinical Scientist
• Specialist portfolio in relevant discipline (if HCPC Registration via IBMS Portfolio route) or FIBMS or equivalent experience or Clinical Scientist
• MSc, FIBMS or equivalent experience in a similar role

Experience

• Leadership qualities with experience of coaching and co-ordinating others
• Performing audits, investigation of Adverse Incidents and Root Cause Analysis
• Using Quality Management Systems (QMS)
• Training colleagues in QMS, disseminating changes to SOPs and regulations pertaining to quality
• Laboratory Quality Lead
• Using QPulse
• Involvement with external assessments/inspections e.g. UKAS/MHRA

Skills & Knowledge

• Ability to troubleshoot and train those who use the QMS
• Knowledge of the correct policies and procedures to implement in relation to quality systems, with reference to ISO/UKAS

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.

Depending on experience£56,276 to £63,176 per annum depending on experience (pro rata)