Senior Healthcare Science Assistant

Newcastle Hospitals; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Healthcare Science Assistant to join the Blood Sciences Laboratory, Flow Cytometry Section. The role involves routine laboratory duties, specimen handling and data entry under supervision, contributing to patient care across multiple sites.

Applicants should have NVQ 3 in Biomedical Science or equivalent, GCSEs including English, Maths and Science, and experience in blood sciences. DBS clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of blood biology basics.
• Experience in routine laboratory work.
• Good attention to detail and organisation.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, high quality scientific information to assist diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
• Carry out laboratory duties including reception and data entry under supervision.
• Prepare specimens for analysis and manage storage of specimens.
• Enter requests into the LIMS system and operate lab equipment as required.
• Assist in ordering blood products and transferring stocks under supervision.
• Label and issue patient blood products and support QA programmes.
• Adhere to Health and Safety policies and COSHH procedures.

Skills

Technical skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

NVQ 3 Biomedical Science

GCSEs including English, Maths, Science

Job description

Go back The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Healthcare Science Assistant

The closing date is 16 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and suitability qualified Senior Healthcare Science Assistant to join the Blood Sciences Laboratory in our Flow Cytometry Section. This laboratory performs immunology and haematology assays for Newcastle Hospitals and the wider region through the Northern England Haemato-oncology Diagnostic Service (NEHODS).

The Blood Sciences Department is UKAS accredited and is housed at both Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary. The laboratory is progressive, well equipped and is accredited for training.

• Interview Date: 8 December 2026
• Full & Part Time Hours

Main duties of the job

Successful candidates will work alongside a team of other Senior Healthcare Science Assistants, Biomedical Scientists and Clinical Scientists, contributing to the day-to-day work of the section.

Duties will include

• specimen reception
• performing practical laboratory work.

You must have good attention to detail, organisation skills and be able to prioritise and manage your workload.

About us

Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

• A Senior Healthcare Science Assistant (HCSA) is part of a clinical support team whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
• The Senior HCSA will use extended technical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received and some routine pathological tests under the direct or indirect supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
• To assist in the preparation of specimens for analysis, including the separation of blood, serum and plasma, and the cataloguing and storage of specimens.
• Entering requests into the laboratory computer system.
• To carry out, under direct or indirect supervision, some laboratory diagnostic tests and the operation of laboratory equipment. This may be in the laboratory or in Point of Care Testing environments such as wards an clinics where supervision and advice may be available by telephone or electronic means.
• To order blood products from the National Blood Authority and to transfer blood stocks as appropriate under the supervision of a senior member staff.
• To label and issue patient intended blood/blood products.
• To assist in the department Quality Assurance programmes
• To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors. To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any non-compliances to a senior member of staff.
• Answering telephone enquiries and retrieving results in accordance with the standard operational procedure.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.

Person Specification

KNOWLEDGE

• Basic understanding of the biology of the blood

SKILLS

• Technical skills to support the routine use of laboratory equipment
• Good interpersonal skills

EXPERIENCE

• Experience as a HSA in Blood Sciences

QUALIFICATIONS

• NVQ 3 or equivalent in Biomedical Science related subject or equivalent plus laboratory working experience or significant Blood Science laboratory experience
• Educated to a minimum level of five GCSE at grade C to include English, Maths and Science or equivalent qualifications

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.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£25,760 to £27,476 a yearper annum, pro rata