Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust; North East; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A local health service provider in North East England is looking for a diligent Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant to join its busy Department of Blood Sciences. The ideal candidate will have NVQ qualifications and relevant lab experience. Key responsibilities include processing samples, ensuring patient care, and supporting lab operations. The role requires shift flexibility including nights and weekends. This position offers a competitive salary between £24,937 and £26,598 per annum, pro rata.

Qualifications

• Proven laboratory experience is preferred.
• Must have a NVQ qualification in CLS or equivalent.
• Able to handle blood and body samples safely.

Responsibilities

• Processing and prioritizing laboratory samples.
• Supporting delivery and reception of samples in the lab.
• Answering queries and liaising with other Trust staff.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Attention to detail

Computer literacy

Ability to work under pressure

Education

NVQ 3 CLS or equivalent

IBMS Certificate of Achievement Part 1

Science and/or Maths GCSE or above

Tools

Microsoft Office applications

Job description

Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant

Go back County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 09 January 2026

We are seeking an individual with excellent literacy and numeracy skills to work as a Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant in our very busy Department of Blood Sciences which processes 1500‑2000 samples per site each day.

Main duties of the job

• Prioritising urgent and AE samples to avoid delays and ensure best patient care.
• Receipt of samples from within the Hospital via a vacuum tube system or in person and from GP surgeries via courier services.
• Booking a large volume of patient samples onto the Laboratory Computer System and ensuring the correct test requests are inputted. You must have excellent attention to detail to select the correct codes.
• Centrifuging samples and correctly loading the samples onto the relevant laboratory analysers.
• Organising referrals, packaging and sending of samples to other Trust sites and to other Trusts nationwide.
• Answering reception and telephone queries and liaising with other Trust staff and the general public.
• Receiving deliveries, ensuring they go to the correct department within Pathology and unpacking and organising the stock as requested.
• Scanning request forms and ensuring printed reports are sent to the correct requesting departments, GPs or clinics in a timely manner.

Please refer to the Job Description and Personal Specification for full details.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre‑employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under‑represented.

Job responsibilities

You should be able to demonstrate good keyboard skills and be computer literate and have experience of working in a reception or clerical environment. Previous laboratory experience would be an advantage. If you are well organised, have excellent attention to detail, are a good communicator, team player, conscientious and flexible this job may suit you. You must be able to ask questions and take on board information given.

You must be able to work on a 24/7 shift rota which includes dayshifts, late shifts, nightshift, weekend dayshifts and nightshift, bank holiday dayshift and nightshift including Christmas Day. This is a requirement of the post. Dayshifts and late shifts are 7.5 or 8 hours. Nightshifts and some weekends and bank holidays are 12 hours. On weekends, bank holidays and nightshifts you will often be the sole Pathology Reception worker on site (there will be Biomedical Scientists on site also).

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ 3 CLS or equivalent
• IBMS Certificate of Achievement Part 1 or demonstrable assessed competency
• CPD
• NVQ 3 Health (Pathology stream) or equivalent
• Science and/or Maths GCSE or above

Special Skills and Knowledge

• Follow protocols and instructions accurately
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to concentrate for long periods
• Microsoft Office applications

Special Requirements

• Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post
• Able to handle blood and body samples
• Able to work flexibly
• Able to participate in shift working, week end working, bank holidays.

Experience

• Previous laboratory experience
• Employment with public interaction
• Supervisory experience
• Training experience

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.

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum, pro rata