The place to work in pathology We are looking for top talent to join the UK’s leading and fastest growing pathology company – a scientific organisation with a clinical purpose. Working in partnership with our service partners, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals, King’s College Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital we aim to set the standard for the future of pathology. Job overview This is an exciting opportunity for a Full Time Medical Laboratory Assistant at Guys and St Thomas’ Blood Transfusion Laboratory. You will work in a small team between of Blood Transfusion MLAs, as a key part of the wider Blood Transfusion Team. Blood Transfusion use Winpath Enterprise and BloodTrack systems. Upon satisfactory completion of in-house training and competency assessment you will participate in the MLA rota which currently involves shifts between 8am and 8pm, however this may change with the implementation of the Hub and Spoke model so applicants may be required to work on a full 24/7 rota in future. This position is open to Internal Applicants only, wanting to move from Fixed term to a Permanent position. Main duties of the job Technical To safely handle, use and dispose of blood Pre-analytical preparation of samples. To monitor and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment. Ensure quality control measures are carried out to monitor analytical performance. Participate in internal and external quality assurance programmes. Undertake Blood Transfusion daily returns before returning to stock in line with BSQR on cold chain protocols. To monitor blood satellite fridges, conducting alarms tests, temperature checks and undertaking monthly cleaning. Monitoring and maintenance of blood stocks in accordance with protocols to assist in reducing and minimising wastage. Use Winpath log patient information, verify patient specimens and monitor stock of blood products. Administrative To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for the standards of UKAS and BSQR. Undertake work file management to ensure all results are reported with agreed turnaround time General Duties To comply with the policies and procedures of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and Synnovis Pathology. To treat everyone associated with Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust and Synnovis Pathology with courtesy and respect. To comply with the training and competence policy and procedure Working for our organisation Your development and learning You will have a suite of learning opportunities available through The Synnovis Way Development programme, the Scientific Learning and Development Fund and the Synnovis Academy through which you can receive funding / support for advanced qualifications. Through our Innovation Accelerator Fund, you can apply for finance to get that new innovative scientific project off the ground, and participate with the wider scientific community through symposiums, conferences and other peer group meetings. Detailed job description and main responsibilities At Synnovis, we are currently shaping the future of pathology services by creating a world-leading Hub and Spoke pathology network with our NHS partners. A large part of this modernisation will involve moving 70% of our services to a purpose built, state of the art Hub laboratory in the heart of London. For now, the job you are applying for will be based at one of our hospital sites however, from 1 April 2024 our people and services will start to move to our Hub laboratory in Blackfriars, Southwark, SE1, with some work remaining in refurbished essential services laboratories across our hospital network, focusing on the rapid turnover of urgent tests. Please do ask your recruiting manager if you wish to find out more. Technical To safely handle, use and dispose of blood or other body fluids or hazardous chemicals under supervision. Pre-analytical preparation of samples. This includes sorting, labelling and centrifuging according to departmental procedure. To perform automated laboratory investigations on patient samples. • To store, prepare and use reagents required for laboratory investigations. To monitor and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, for example, specified analyser maintenance and basic troubleshooting. Ensure quality control measures are carried out to monitor analytical performance, take corrective action where applicable and report any failures to a senior member of staff. Participate in internal and external quality assurance programmes. To report to the section supervisor any instance or event which may cause a service delivery failure. Undertake Blood Transfusion daily returns and audit each unit before returning to stock in line with BSQR on cold chain protocols. To monitor blood satellite fridges, conducting alarms tests, temperature checks and undertaking monthly cleaning. Monitoring and maintenance of blood stocks in accordance with protocols to assist in reducing and minimising wastage. To store samples following appropriate laboratory protocols and keep records as required. • Process samples under supervision for clinical trials and research and developmental projects if and when required. Advise service users on sample preservation and transportation to laboratory. Use of the laboratory information system to log patient information, verify patient specimens and monitor stock of blood products. Laboratory Informatics To comply with local and national policies for the safe, secure and confidential processing, and storage of patient and other laboratory information. To use the Laboratory Information System according to the authorised protocols. To maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases. Fating of Transfusion traceability tags. Administrative To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for the standards of Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) and BSQR. Undertake work file management to ensure all results are reported with agreed turnaround time To use departmental resources efficiently and advise senior staff when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels. To participate in the data collection for the operation performance management system (OPMS) To assist investigations for missing traceability evidence of blood components and products. General Duties To comply with the policies and procedures of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and Synnovis Pathology. To treat everyone associated with Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust and Synnovis Pathology with courtesy and respect. To maintain and promote the professional image of Blood Sciences, SynnovisPathology and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust. To maintain good work relations with all members of staff, and to promote effective teamwork. To comply with local and national policies for the safe, secure, confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information. To report any witnessed deficiency in health and safety and quality systems to line manager or the department lead. Keep appropriate records of all communications. To ensure compliance with all local and national standards of work practice (e.g. BSQR) and follow standard operating procedures and policies. Propose changes to Standard Operating Procedures to senior staff and aid in implementation of such changes, as and when required To maintain a clean and tidy workstation, including work benches, fridges, freezers, and store rooms/ areas. To comply with the training and competence policy and procedure To participate in and contribute to the Performance Planning and Review (PPR) process And: Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London. The partnership provides services to 1.7 million people living in South East London, as well as to hundreds of thousands of patients from outside the region who use local healthcare services. The partnership provides diagnostics, testing and digital pathology for hospital trusts, GP services and other healthcare providers. GSTT Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Foundation Trust is a major emergency and specialist teaching Trust which has all the specialties associated with a fascinating and career defining case load including: Women’s Services, Fetal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Transplantation, and is also home to the Evelina Children’s Hospital and the Cancer Centre on the Guy’s site. You will be close to the vibrant Borough Market and the South Bank, which are exceptional London locations; perfect places to work and relax next to such iconic venues as Big Ben, The London Eye and The Shard! Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria Good all-round education to GCSE standard. Desirable criteria Foundation degree or equivalent. Experience Essential criteria Working as part of a team. Working in a busy environment. Previous experience of working in Blood Transfusion. Experience managing blood stocks Desirable criteria Customer service experience. Skills & Knowledge Essential criteria Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal. Awareness of Blood Safety and Quality Regulations (BSQR) Able to communicate technical information. Desirable criteria Aware of the role of medical laboratories. Awareness of H&S legislation. Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. All applicants are welcome to apply regardless of age, disability, gender, marital status, race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, or sexual orientation. Equality of opportunity is our policy. Our Bank workers enjoy competitive market rates and flexible contract assignments across all of our sites, dependent on your availability and location. For our Permanent workforce w e offer a competitive benefits package. All employees are entitled to: Contributory pension scheme Generous annual leave entitlement Ground breaking development opportunities Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. All employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their daily duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role. Please apply for this post on-line. If you have problems with using the online process, or need any assistance, please email [email protected] Your e-mail address is important to us. We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis. Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. If you decide to apply for this post but do not hear back from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been short-listed on this occasion. Thank you for your interest in Synnovis. Further details / informal visits contact Name Luke Woodford Job title Operations manager Email address [email protected] If you have problems applying, contact Address Synnovis Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Telephone 01629 702338