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Job summary

Main area
Cellular Pathology
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 2
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 18.5 hours per week
Job ref
193-7699745NCG
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Cellular Pathology, Harborne House, Car Park 13
Town
Reading
Salary
£24,465 (plus 5% Fringe £1,303) pro-rata per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
18/01/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Medical Laboratory Assistant - Part Time 18.5 hours p/w

NHS AfC: Band 2

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.  

Job overview

Band 2 Medical Laboratory Assistant

This is a part-time post for 18.75 hours per week.

The Cellular Pathology (Harborne House) department has a vacancy for a Medical Laboratory Assistant within the Histology department.

We are located at the University of Reading on the White Knights Campus in new laboratory spaces.

This is a busy department, servicing two hospitals, Royal Berkshire Hospital and Wexham Park Hospital, with a combined  workload of 55,000 Histology specimens per annum, and 5,000 non-Gynae specimens, performing a wide range of Immunohistochemistry techniques and OSNA. We have full UKAS accreditation. 

We are looking for a candidate who is a competent and versatile individual with excellent team working and communication skills and must be 
able to work with accuracy at all times. 

Previous experience in a Histology environment is not essential as training will be given but would be an advantage. 

We very much encourage personal development and so if you’re looking for a challenge, are versatile and can adapt to rapidly changing 
scenarios then this could be the job for you. We are a lively bunch and have various social events throughout the year.

Main duties of the job

Duties include:

Sorting all deliveries and arranging stock and rotations.

Place orders within the NHS supply chain.

Provide consumables to wards, outpatients and mortuary.

Monitor stock levels and liaise with senior staff on replacements.

Working for our organisation

Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our "CARE" values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder is responsible for:

  • Participating in the provision of an efficient and cost effective Histology service within Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services. 
  • Assisting with other members of staff to provide an efficient and effective service to all users of the Histopathology Department.

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details of the role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Minimum 5 GCSE's including English, Maths and Sciences

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of using computer systems
  • Experience of working in a team
Desirable criteria
  • NHS experience
  • ECDL

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Florence Nightingale FoundationNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024

Application numbers

Candidates to be capped at 25 applications per 1WTE position to be recruited

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Amanda Babington
Job title
HBMS Cellular Pathology
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0118 322 8201
Additional information

Amanda Babington (HBMS Cellular Pathology) 0118 322 8201 / [email protected]

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