Specialist Biomedical Scientist

FHFT Education Academy; Camberley; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 20,000; Part time

Job summary

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust in Camberley is seeking a Specialist Biomedical Scientist (Band 6) to join the Bacteriology Department on an 18-month fixed-term contract. This part-time post is 15 hours per week with early, core, late, weekend and bank holiday shifts.

You will rotate through sections, maintain and develop your specialist knowledge, and contribute to a high-quality diagnostic service using modern automated and molecular technologies including Kiestra, MALDI-TOF and PCR.

Qualifications

• Registered BMS, registered with HCPC.
• Completed IBMS Specialist Portfolio or IBMS Specialist Diploma in Microbiology.
• Higher degree or Post Graduate Diploma.

Responsibilities

• Perform diagnostic microbiology examination and reporting of specimens to aid patient treatment.
• Use interpretive skills on culture plates and analysers with LIMS to deliver diagnostic service.
• Process specimens (blood, CSF, urine, faeces, sputum, tissues, secretions) and interpret for pathogens.

Skills

HCPC registered

Team player

Adaptable

Education

IBMS Specialist Portfolio (Microbiology) or IBMS Specialist Diploma in Microbiology

Higher degree or Post Graduate Diploma

Job description

Main area Pathology (Microbiology-Bacteriology) Grade Band 6 Contract 18 months (Fixed term post to cover 1 1/2 years to cover) Hours Part time - 15 hours per week (Early, Core, Late, Weekend and Bank holiday shifts) Job ref 151-SL0617

Site Frimley Park Hospital Town Camberley Salary £16,783 - £20,155 per annum incl HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 12/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

Specialist Biomedical Scientist – Band 6

15 hours per week | Fixed-term contract – 18 months

Join our dynamic Bacteriology team at Frimley Park Hospital!

Are you an energetic, enthusiastic and highly motivated Specialist Biomedical Scientist looking for a flexible, part-time opportunity? Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services are seeking an experienced Band 6 Biomedical Scientist to join our friendly and forward-thinking Bacteriology Department at Frimley Park Hospital on an 18-month fixed-term contract.

Our laboratory offers an exciting and varied working environment, with access to modern automated and molecular technologies, including a Kiestra laboratory automation system, MALDI-TOF and PCR techniques.

About the role

You will work as part of a dedicated and supportive team, rotating through the different sections of the Bacteriology laboratory. This is an excellent opportunity to maintain and further develop your specialist knowledge and practical skills while contributing to the delivery of a high-quality diagnostic service.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is HCPC registered as a Biomedical Scientist.
• Has successfully completed the IBMS Specialist Portfolio (Microbiology) or equivalent.
• Is enthusiastic about developing their knowledge and skills.
• Enjoys working as part of a busy, collaborative laboratory team.
• Is adaptable and keen to embrace new technologies and ways of working.
• Is willing to participate in the laboratory shift rota.

Main duties of the job

• To perform the diagnostic microbiology examination and reporting of specimens received in order to aid patient treatment and care.
• To use interpretive skills on culture plates and complex analysers combined with the Laboratory Information Management Computer System in order to deliver the diagnostic microbiology service to our users.
• The diagnostic work of the department includes processing, for example, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, faeces, sputum, tissues and diverse secretions.
• Processed samples are then interpreted for the presence of pathogens, these could be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic.

Working for our organisation

Visa Sponsorship:
This position is not eligiblefor Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the contract.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.

Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too.

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information regarding the detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the attached job description and person specification documents.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered BMS, registered with HCPC.
• Has completed either the IBMS Specialist Portfolio or the IBMS Specialist Diploma in Microbiology.
• Higher degree or Post Graduate Diploma.

Experience

• Experienced team member.
• Experience of most areas of diagnostic microbiology.
• Laboratory experience and advanced knowledge of all areas of medical microbiology including bacteriology, parasitology and mycology.
• Experience of training trainee and MLA staff.
• Experience of serological techniques.
• Molecular biology technical expertise.

Skills and Knowledge

• Able to communicate complex information to clinicians and other users to advise on tests performed and results obtained
• Good hand eye coordination for technically demanding procedures
• Good team member
• Good interpretive skills at bench level.
• Good time management.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.

We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.

We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Th rough our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.

Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.

Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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. We would advise that you complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.