Specialist Biomedical Scientist Microbiology

ESHT; Eastbourne; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS pension

Staff restaurants

Onsite parking £50/yr

Job summary

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking a Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology at Band 6 for an 11-month fixed-term contract based at Eastbourne District General Hospital. The post requires HCPC registration and a minimum of three years post-registration microbiology experience in the UK.

The department uses BD BACTEC, Genexpert, and MALDI-TOF, among other technologies. The successful candidate will perform routine microbiology workflows, including culture, identification,

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science or equivalent.
• HCPC registered.
• Evidence of continued professional development to postgraduate level or equivalent knowledge/experience.
• Demonstrable knowledge and skills through ongoing professional development and courses (e.g. Mycology, Parasitology, advanced instruments).
• MSc Microbiology.

Responsibilities

• Undertake all aspects of routine laboratory work in Microbiology.
• Analyse and interpret infection causes by identifying microorganisms and recommending antibiotic treatment where appropriate.
• Use culture, microscopy, antigen/antibody diagnostics and molecular techniques with advanced instrumentation.
• Validate results for clinical use and work with a range of specimens (blood, urine, CSF, tissue, etc.).

Skills

HCPC registration

Post-registration experience

Molecular diagnostics

Education

BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science

MSc Microbiology

Tools

BD BACTEC

BDMax

Genexpert

MALDI-TOF

Vitek MS

Job description

Specialist Biomedical Scientist Microbiology

NHS AfC: Band 6

Main area Microbiology Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 11 months (Contract terminates on 31/08/2027) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 374-EDCG7226-A

Site Eastbourne District General Hospital Town Eastbourne Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 15/10/2026 23:59

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 £700 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

The Microbiology Laboratory is based on a single site at the Eastbourne District General Hospital (EDGH) and is equipped with state of the art analysers/ equipment and has a Pathology-wide IT system that links with the hospital HISS system. The department processes in the region of 255,000 specimens a year.

The department has a technical staff of 19 serving the Conquest Hospital, Eastbourne District General Hospital, and a large GP catchment area, providing an interesting and varied workload. This UKAS-accredited, IBMS training-approved and fully computerised department provides a comprehensive diagnostic service, including Serology. Current instrumentation includes BD Bactec blood culture system, Cepheid Genexpert PCR system, Urine Sedimax, MastUri, BDMax PCR analyser, Biomerieux MALDI-TOF.

We currently have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to undertake all aspects of routine laboratory work, and function at a Specialist Biomedical Scientist level. You must be suitably qualified and HCPC-registered, with at least 2 years post-registration laboratory experience in the UK, with a completed IBMS specialist portfolio.

Qualified and HCPC-registered BMS staff participate in the contractual 7-day rotas.

Main duties of the job

Biomedical Scientists working in Microbiology are responsible for analysing and interpreting the various causes of infection by the identification of disease-causing microorganisms, and for recommending their antibiotic treatment where appropriate. These processes utilise the most up-to-date scientific methods and highly complex analytical equipment, in conjunction with the traditional methods of culture, microscopy and antigen/antibody-complex diagnostics, and by the application of microbiological, biochemical, serological and molecular techniques. The post-holder will be required to have a variety of microbiology skills in order to perform all these tests.

Diagnostic work includes the examination of a wide variety of samples such as blood, tissue, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and faecal material. Investigations include culture and identification of bacteria and fungi, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and the identification of lice, fleas and parasites. Serological investigations include assays for the diagnosis of HIV and Hepatitis B, other blood borne viruses and the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections.

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.

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 your 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

• BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science or equivalent.
• Health Professionals Council registered.
• Evidence of continued professional develop to post graduate level or equivalent level of knowledge and experience
• Demonstrable knowledge and skills achieved through ongoing professional development and attendance on educational and practical courses e.g. specific Mycology training courses, specific Parasitology training courses, advanced instrument training courses, BSAC Symposia, etc.
• MSc Microbiology

Experience

• A minimum of 3 years of post HCPC-registration experience in a Microbiology Laboratory in the UK is required.
• Previous experience of working as part of a team
• Experience working with BDMax, BD BACTEC, BD Viper, WASP, Vitek MS, Vidas, Cobas, Sedimax, MAST Uri

Skills

• Advanced microbiology techniques
• Highly developed microbiology skills
• Good knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and procedures as applied in Pathology
• Good knowledge of Good Laboratory` Practice
• Capable of working with minimum supervision after state registration
• Ability to validate results for clinical use. Identification of microorganisms and interpretation of diagnostic tests.
• Good molecular diagnostic techniques. Good scientific numeracy.
• Capable of working under pressure
• Capable of working in difficult environmental conditions.

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

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.