Senior Healthcare Science Assistant

Freeman Hospital; Carthage (MO); On-site; USD 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Healthcare Science Assistant to join the Blood Sciences Laboratory in the Flow Cytometry Section at Freeman Hospital. The role involves immunology and haematology work, specimen reception, data entry, and performing routine tests under supervision.

You will be part of a clinical support team delivering high quality scientific information to aid diagnosis and patient care, in a UKAS-accredited lab with opportunities across multiple

Qualifications

• Essential knowledge of biomedical/clinical laboratory fundamentals.
• Experience with routine laboratory tests and data entry under supervision.
• Understanding of safety and COSHH policies in a lab setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, accurate scientific information to assist diagnosis and monitoring.
• Reception and data entry of requests, and routine pathological tests.
• Prepare specimens for analysis and manage storage/cataloguing.
• Operate laboratory equipment under supervision and assist in QA programmes.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organization skills

Prioritisation

Communication skills

Keyboard skills

Education

NVQ 3 in Biomedical Science or equivalent

GCSE English, Maths, Science or equivalent

Tools

Laboratory equipment

Job description

Cramlington Manor Walks

Employer heading

Senior Healthcare Science Assistant

Band 3

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion.

With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country.

As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job Overview

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.

• specimen reception
• administrative tasks
• performing practical laboratory work.

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

Working for our organisation

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

Detailed Job Description And Main 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 report any non‑compliances to a senior member of staff.
• Answering telephone enquiries and retrieving results …

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 month’s pay.

Person specification

KNOWLEDGE

Desirable criteria

• Basic understanding of the biology of the blood

Skills

Essential criteria

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

Experience

Desirable criteria

• Experience as a HSA in Blood Sciences

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• 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

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals are a forward thinking and highly innovative organisation, the use of Third‑Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual application or to the recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

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 month’s pay.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e‑mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• JD&PS (PDF, 174.7KB)
• Newcastle Staff Benefits (PDF, 274.4KB)
• Behaviour and Civility Charter (PDF, 93.8KB)

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Steph Shail Job title Healthcare Science Section Lead Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 0191 28 25078 Additional information