Job summary
- Main area
- Cellular Sciences
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 430-CC25-486A
- Employer
- Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- General Pathology (Dept)
- Town
- Milton Keynes
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 Per annum, pro rata if part-time
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 05/11/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 18/11/2025
Employer heading
Senior Pathology Healthcare Science Assistant
Band 3
At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.
MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).
Our benefits
We believe in recognising and rewarding the amazing contribution of our staff and that is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional growth, including:
- Free on-site parking including EV charging
- Complimentary refreshments
- Flexible working arrangements
- Discounted gym membership
- Salary sacrifice car scheme
- Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
- Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
- On-site nursery (charges apply)
- A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
- VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial Wellbeing
Job overview
Senior Pathology Healthcare Science Assistant
Department Pathology
Band 3 £24,937 - £26,598 Per annum, pro rata if part-time
Hours: varied up to a maximum of 37.5 per week, worked across 7 days including Weekends/Bank Holidays. Shifts worked between the hours 0845-2100 or as required
All MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
Do you thrive on working in a fast-paced environment and care about high quality patient services? Pathology and Blood Sciences have had major investment in new equipment and refurbishment.
Applications are invited to join the Pathology Support Unit (PSU) of Blood Sciences working with a team of dedicated healthcare professionals to deliver a high quality service that is responsive to patient requirements.
You will be a key member of the PSU team providing support services to departments analysing and reporting on, blood, urine, faeces and other materials to achieve the objectives of efficient and effective patient care. You will be required to deliver a service that meets the quality standards of ISO 15189 and participate in work patterns that support our 24/7 service.
Please note that we are not able to offer sponsorship for this role.
For further information contact Rachel Mason PSU Manager ([email protected]) on 01908 995769 or Jonathan Popoola Deputy PSU Manager ([email protected]) on 01908 995758.
Interview 18th November 2025
Main duties of the job
'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
• To provide essential pre-analytical management of pathology specimens and requests to maintain workflow to specialist laboratory services for timely analysis.
• To provide effective post analytical management of specialist laboratory investigations ensuring results are accurate, reported within expected timelines and available for scientific validation and review by clinical service users.
• To provide assistance to both patients and clinical staff using the pathology service.
• To manage deliveries of patient material, consumables, reagents and mail.
• To provide this role over a 7 day working pattern and support delivery of a 24/7 pathology service.
Working for our organisation
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a “Good” rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.
Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards – a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards – and the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.
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Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• Maintain a professional approach to work at all times and to deal courteously with enquiries from within and outside the hospital.
• Manage Pathology reception, receiving visitors and patients, dealing with enquiries and ensuring that printed results are sent to requesters at an acceptable rate.
• Manage telephone enquiries, ensuring the caller is authorised to receive personal and/or confidential information, passing on enquiries to BMS (biomedical scientist) staff where appropriate & giving out authorised results to medical & nursing staff.
• Comply with Data Protection regulations and maintain patient confidentiality
• Liaise with reference laboratory services to ensure timely processing of referred requests
• Liaise with transport and courier services to ensure timely delivery of patient requests and samples.
• Monitor and action all Pathology mail received
Please refer to the Job Description for further details
Person specification
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential criteria
- Level 3 qualification i.e. A level in Maths and/or Science. In the absence of this Level 2 qualification i.e. GCSE in Maths, Science or English with experience in Healthcare science
- Knowledge and understanding of Microsoft Office applications
- Knowledge of Manual Handling and Health & Safety legislation
- Knowledge of ISO 15189 Standards for Medical laboratories
- Knowledge of Data Protection Action and GDPR
Desirable criteria
- Level 4 Science based qualification i.e HND or first part Foundation Degree
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in Healthcare and/or Healthcare Science
- Experience using with Laboratory Information Systems
- Customer Service/Care experience
Desirable criteria
- Experience in NHS Healthcare Science
- Experience in leading teams
Skills
Essential criteria
- Good interpersonal skills
- Record Keeping skills
- Good organisational skills
- Methodical and accurate approach to tasks
Personal and people development
Essential criteria
- Ability to work individually and in a team
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to manage conflict
- Ability to train other staff
Communication
Essential criteria
- Clear and accurate written and verbal use of English communication at all levels of the organisation
- Good Telephone ability
- Ability to apply principles of GDPR
Specific requirements
Essential criteria
- Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
- Physically able and mobile
- Able to work 7 day pattern between 0845-2100
- Flexible to changing service requirements
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rachel Mason
- Job title
- PSU Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Part time shifts considered for evenings or weekend working.
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