Medical Laboratory Assistant

Role Overview & Responsibilities

Working hours - 22.5 hours per week

A supportive role in the Cellular Pathology department. Full time and part time available. Band 2 to start with, moving to band 3 upon gaining appropriate competencies.

Applications are invited from enthusiastic, adaptable individuals who would enjoy working as part of a friendly team providing the Cellular Pathology service in this busy department.

The ideal candidate will have an interest in Science; possess G.C.S.E. (or equivalent) passes in Maths, English and Science. Previous experience in a Histology laboratory environment would be an advantage.

The ideal candidate should possess good organisational skills, keyboard skills, be able to work under pressure, must be able to write clearly and must be able to pay close attention to detail.

The duties to be undertaken will include the receipt and checking and preparation of samples for laboratory examination, carrying out routine reagent maintenance on the staining machine, staining of slides, the inputting of patient records onto the laboratory computer system and preparing chemical and dye solutions used to analyse specimens, filing and retrieval of slides and records, carry out routine cleaning of processors and immunocytochemistry staining machines

Packaging of slides for any sendaway work. Loading slides onto the digital pathology scanner

Full training will be provided to the right candidate.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust consists of a 600 bedded large District General Hospital, which provides its services on the Countess of Chester Health Park, and a 64 bedded Intermediate Care Service at Ellesmere Port Hospital.

The Trust provides services in all of the surgical and medical specialties common to a District General Hospital with some specialist services. The Trust serves the whole of the local population currently in excess of 250,000 residents which geographically covers populations in England and North Wales.

The Trust strives to continuously improve and sustain the quality of its services for patients, providing care to more than 445,000 patients per year, with almost 4,000 staff working together putting quality and patient safety, at the heart of everything we do. The organisation provides a wide range of services offering health care to the whole spectrum of the population from birth to the end of life. The Trust complies with its terms of authorisation as a Foundation Trust.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.