Senior Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT)

Whittington Maternity Voices Partnership; Greater London; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Whittington Health NHS Trust in London invites applications for a Senior Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT), NHS AfC Band 6. The post involves managing autopsy suites, body handling, training of junior staff and cross‑agency liaison within a sensitive clinical environment.

The role requires a Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology or equivalent, with on‑site duties and potential on‑call requirements.

Qualifications

• Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology or equivalent is required.
• Experience with mortuary operations and autopsy-related procedures is desirable.
• Strong organisational and communication skills in a sensitive environment.

Responsibilities

• Operate and support the autopsy suite and body handling areas under supervision.
• Assist mortuary manager with monitoring, training of junior staff and audits.
• Coordinate with pathologists, police, coroners and external partners as required.

Skills

Management

Organisation

Mortuary operations

Staff supervision

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology

Job description

Senior Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT)

NHS AfC: Band 6

Main area Mortuary Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Some on-call requirements of post) Job ref 220-WHT-8309275

Employer Whittington Health NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Whittington Hospital Town London Salary £47,951 - £56,863 per annum Inclusive of HCAs Salary period Yearly Closing 05/10/2026 23:59

Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3 rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role.

We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

Whittington Health NHS Trust is committed to ensuring that its recruitment processes are carried out with integrity, transparency, and fairness for all applicants. To help maintain these standards, we ask candidates to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the recruitment process.

If incorrect or misleading information is identified, this may affect the progression of an application, any employment offer, or continued employment. As part of our due diligence, the company may verify the information provided by applicants and take appropriate act ion where necessary.

We do not charge applicants any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including applications, interviews, sponsorship arrangements, pre-employment checks, or employment offers. All vacancies are advertised through TRAC/NHS Jobs and candidates are assessed solely on their skills, qualifications, experience, and suitability for the role. If you are asked to make a payment in connection with an NHS job opportunity, please treat this as suspicious and contact the organisation directly using the details published on our official career's website.

Mortuary Services at the Whittington hospital incorporates a busy hospital mortuary as well as a public mortuary for the London Borough of Islington . The mortuary is fully licensed by the Human Tissue Authority, the UK regulatory body that oversees the use, storage and disposal of human tissue. An autopsy service of the highest standard is provided both for the hospital and H.M Coroner, Inner North London District.

The mortuary also offers a CT scan autopsy service to the police and wider community.

An opportunity has arisen within this mortuary for a qualified Anatomical Pathology Technologist to join our team. The individual must hold the Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology or equivalent. They must be motivated, enthusiastic and flexible and able to work in a challenging and sensitive environment with a calm and professional attitude. Frequent exposure to emotional and distressing situations is required to carry out this role.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will also contribute to supporting the hospital Medical Examiner (ME) system.This involves the administration of documentation pertaining to patients that die within the hospital and local community.

The candidate will carry out the technical work of the department with particular reference to the management of the autopsy suite and body handling area as required by the mortuary manager. They will assist the mortuary manager in the monitoring and control of work and supervision and training of junior staff.

The candidate will display good organisational skills, whilst carrying out varied and complex tasks.

The candidate will also be required to assist with the arrangement of ‘Public Health’ funerals’ on behalf of London Borough of Islington.

Close liaison with a variety of other professions including Coroner’s officers, police, doctors, nursing staff and funeral directors is therefore an essential function, as is communication with bereaved family and friends.

The candidate will be required to participate in the ‘Out of Hours’ on call system.

The Whittington mortuary is open 8am – 4pm Monday to Friday but these times will be flexible dependent on the autopsy schedule which often begins before 6am.

Candidates must have a reliable means of commuting to ensure consistent punctuality for the early morning shifts. Please note there is no parking on site

Working for our organisation

We have an excellent reputation for being innovative, responsive and flexible to the changing clinical needs of the local population. We are treating more patients than ever before and are dedicated to improving services to deliver the best for our patients.
Our mission
Helping local people live longer, healthier lives.
Our vision
Provide safe, personal, co-ordinated care for the community we serve.
Our goals
We have developed six key strategic goals to make sure we continue to support people to live longer, healthier lives.

• To secure the best possible health and wellbeing for all our community
• To integrate and coordinate care in person-centred teams
• To support our patients and users in being active partners in their care
• To be recognised as a leader in the fields of medical and multi-professional education, and population-based clinical research
• To innovate and continuously improve the quality of our services to deliver the best outcomes for our local population

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To carry out the technical work of the department with particular reference to the management of the autopsy suite and body handling area as required by the mortuary manager. To assist the mortuary manager in the monitoring and control of work and supervision and training of junior staff.

To deputise for the mortuary manager during periods of annual leave.

To complete audits as required by the mortuary manager and to have close liaison with the Designated Individual and attend regular governance meetings.

To contribute to the promotion and adherence to Health and Safety within the department by carrying out relevant training and attending appropriate courses suitable for the role.

To liaise with pathologists, hospital personnel, H.M. Coroner, funeral directors, police, members of the public etc.

To have, or be able to develop, good communication and interpersonal skills.

To have a sensitive and caring attitude towards bereaved family and friends

To strictly adhere to departmental standard operating procedures, health and safety guidelines and other relevant Trust and departmental policies.

To ensure Health and Safety standards are followed and maintained.

Shortlisted candidates are encouraged to visit prior to interview

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology or equivalent
• Working in a mortuary that acts dually as a bereavement office

Skills & Abilities

• Management, organisation and control of work within a mortuary environment encompassing multiple disciplines. These include the autopsy workload, Medical Examiner system, contract funerals, procurement and general administration.
• Management, organisation and control of work within a mortuary environment encompassing multiple disciplines. These include the autopsy workload, Medical Examiner system, contract funerals, procurement and general administration.

Knowledge & Experience

• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Be able to communicate clearly and effectively
• Remain calm and assured in a pressurised environment
• Ability to prioritise and work to strict deadlines
• Excellent knowledge of licensing requirements i.e. Human Tissue Authority Codes of Practice
• Excellent knowledge of Health and Safety
• Knowledge of the procedures surrounding the issuing of documentation pertaining to a death
• Knowledge of the Coroner’s and Justice Act 2009
• Knowledge of audits and quality management
• Knowledge of the Medical Examiner system

Personal Qualities

• Excellent interpersonal skills when dealing with a wide variety of people under very emotional circumstances.
• Able to be flexible with working hours

Other

• Be within easy commuting distance in order to participate in the early morning autopsy rota

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with theLondon Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Your application form –

• Provide only business email address for your referees – we are unable to request references from yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail accounts.
• Make sure you to include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the jobs description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.

Our processes –

• Closing dates are given as a guide; we are within our right to close adverts early so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.
• If you do not hear from us up to 3 weeks after the closing date of the job unfortunatelythis means you have not been successfullyshortlisted for interview. If your require feedback on your application please contact the appointing manager detailed in the body of the advert.
• Please check your emails regularly as all correspondence from us will be via trac.systems – occasionally these emails will go into your Junk folder.
• Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.

Other important information –

• You must already have the right to work in the United Kingdom or fully meet the eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. We welcome applications from candidates who require visa sponsorship; however, we can only consider these where all UKVI requirements are met. Before applying, please ensure that both you and the role satisfy the relevant UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) points‑based system criteria, as applications that do not meet these requirements cannot be progressed. For more information about the criteria, please click here
• Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise WhittingtonHealth NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post.

If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre‑employment checks youridentity and right to work documentation will be verifiedremotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a “selfie” using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using Trunarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit www.trustid.co.uk

Please note that during the recruitment process your Identity Documentation (i.e. passport, driving licence, visa, etc.) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, Infrared and Machine Readable Zone security features of the documents provided

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

We would welcome applications from individuals who are from underrepresented groups in the organisation

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.