Senior Biomedical Scientist- Cellular Pathology Laboratory Team Leader

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust; Exeter; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking a Senior Specialist Biomedical Scientist for the Cellular Pathology Team. The role involves overseeing operations and staff in the Histology laboratory, ensuring quality standards, and participating in departmental development projects. Candidates should have relevant qualifications and experience in Cellular Pathology.

Benefits

Staff development

NHS pension scheme

Access to onsite nurseries

Free psychological support

Onsite parking

Qualifications

• 24 months post specialist registration experience in a UKAS or IBMS accredited laboratory.
• HCPC Registered individuals with an MSc or equivalent qualification.

Responsibilities

• Management of the main histopathology laboratory.
• Supervise and monitor quality of work in the laboratory.
• Participate in staff appraisals and training.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Teamwork

Problem Solving

Education

B.Sc (Hons) in Biomedical Science

MSc or equivalent qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are proud to provide 'Outstanding' care and be a great place to work.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.

We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £568 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.

Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people's own homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as 'Good' overall, and 'Outstanding' for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated 'Outstanding' and Eastbourne DGH was rated 'Good' Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) for a Senior Specialist Biomedical Scientist to join our Cellular Pathology Team.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, dedicated, hardworking individual to oversee the operations and staff within our department; providing leadership, expertise and troubleshooting in the Histology laboratory; including specimen reception, tissue dissection, processing, sectioning, routine staining, immunocytochemistry and digital pathology. The post holder will work with the Cellular Pathology Management team to maintain quality and governance standards across Cellular Pathology as a whole; participate in development projects within the department and to help us continue to deliver exceptional, high-quality care to our patients.

The successful candidate must be positive, motivated, resilient and able to demonstrate a flexible approach to work. Appointment will be dependent on experience; you should have 24 months post specialist registration experience in a UKAS or IBMS accredited laboratory.

This position is primarily based at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings however the post holder may be required to work at our Eastbourne site as and when necessary.

Applications are invited from HCPC Registered individuals with an MSc or equivalent qualification (such as the IBMS Higher Specialist Diploma in Cellular Pathology, Cytopathology or Leadership and Management) to join our fully UKAS accredited department.

Main duties of the job

(For the full duties of the job, please see attached full job description and person specification).

• Management and participation in the day-to-day running of the main histopathology laboratory.
• To ensure, supervise and monitor the quality of the work produced in the main histopathology laboratory.
• To develop, implement and maintain departmental standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• To ensure that the performances in EQA and IQA programmes are satisfactory.
• To ensure routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments is undertaken.
• To use specialist knowledge to troubleshoot any issues as they arise.
• To participate in the conduct of annual staff appraisals, continual professional development (CPD) and the educational activities of the department.
• To assist in the recruitment, appointment and induction of staff into the department.
• To assist with departmental training and competency assessment.
• To participate in quality and governance management of the department.
• To participate in ensuring that the department complies with the requirements of UKAS accreditation to ISO15189:2012/2022.
• To adhere to Health and Safety legislation and guidelines that apply in a pathology department.

Working for our organisation

A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries. staff restaurants and accommodation.

In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.

There has never been a better time to join East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, submit your application today.

Statement on the Use of AI

We value the individuality that each candidate brings to the application process. While we understand that AI tools are widely available, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI-generated content when applying for jobs with us. We believe that your application should reflect your true skills, experiences, and motivations, which are best conveyed through your own words and unique perspective.

Using AI for your application may not accurately represent your knowledge, skills, and experience and may result in a disconnect between your qualifications and our assessment of your application.

We encourage applicants to take the time to thoughtfully complete their applications; by doing so, you allow us to better understand your true potential and ensure a fair and transparent evaluation of your application. Over reliance on AI-generated content may diminish your chance of success.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the job description attached.

If you have any questions about this position please do not hesitate to contact us

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• B.Sc (Hons) in Biomedical Science or equivalent.
• State Registration (Health Professionals Council)
• Postgraduate specialised training evidenced by completion of IBMS specialist portfolio or equivalent
• MSc or equivalent qualification such as the IBMS Higher Specialist Diploma in Cellular Pathology, Cytopathology or Leadership and Management
• Demonstrable knowledge and skills achieved through ongoing professional development and attendance on educational and practical courses

Desirable criteria

• FIBMS
• Evidence of management training

Experience

Essential criteria

• Previous experience of all aspects in Cellular Pathology
• Experience of service improvement
• Experience of working as part of a team

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of supervising a team

Skills

Essential criteria

• Highly developed Histological/Cytological skills and techniques.
• Good knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and procedures as applied in Pathology.
• Sound Knowledge of Good Laboratory Practice.
• Good communications and interpersonal skills.
• Capable of leading and working as part of a team.
• Capable of working on own initiative and managing own workload.
• Ability to organise and delegate work to junior members of staff
• Capable of working under pressure.
• Ability to cut and stain frozen sections
• Ability to train others
• Good concentration skills.
• Good keyboard and IT skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office Word, Excel and Outlook

Desirable criteria

• Capable of working in difficult environmental conditions.
• Experience of successful UKAS inspection participation
• Experience of validating new equipment
• Knowledge of the Roche Ultra and BSS special stains platform
• Ability to carry out and troubleshoot special stains and immunohistochemical techniques
• Knowledge of APEX and/or Winpath Enterprise.
• Knowledge of Vantage for specimen tracking, SECTRA PACS for imaging data access and TalkingPoint Voice Recognition for documentation.

Patients come first at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

Our vision is to be:

• The healthcare provider of first choice for the people of East Sussex.

Our mission is to:

• Deliver better health outcomes and an excellent experience for everyone we provide with healthcare services.

Our strategic objectives are to:

• Improve quality and clinical outcomes by ensuring that safe patient care is our highest priority.
• Play a leading role in local partnerships to meet the needs of our local population and improve and enhance patients' experiences.
• Use our resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of our patients and their care to ensure our services are clinically, operationally and financially sustainable.

Our aims are that all services delivered by the Trust are:

• Safe
• Effective
• Caring
• Responsive and
• Well led

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.
Documents to download

• Senior Biomedical Scientist in Cellular Pathology (PDF, 200.4KB)
• Guidance for Applicants - AFC (PDF, 152.4KB)