Job summary
- Main area
- Cellular Pathology
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Will include Saturday working)
- Job ref
- 318-25-T0727
- Employer
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Cheltenham General Hospital
- Town
- Cheltenham
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 (pa pro rata if part-time)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 08/12/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Healthcare Scientist Support Worker - Band 3 Histology
Band 3
At Gloucestershire Hospitals, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the county’s largest employer, we are proud to provide high-quality acute, elective, and specialist services to more than 650,000 people across our county. Our care is delivered across Gloucestershire Royal, Cheltenham General and Stroud Maternity Hospital.
With over 9,000 employees representing more than 95 nationalities, bringing together a mix of cultures and experiences to the care that we deliver. Whether you’re beginning your NHS journey or looking to take the next step in your career, this is an exciting time to join us. We’re investing heavily in innovation, research, and transformation, with more than 100 active clinical studies and major developments underway across our hospitals.
We take pride in working as one team, driven by a shared ambition to grow, develop, and continually improve. Every contribution is valued and by combining our collective strengths, we support not only our diverse communities but one another. You can expect a warm, supportive culture and colleagues who are passionate about teamwork, professional development and delivering exceptional care. We offer structured development programmes, mentoring and leadership opportunities to help you progress in your career.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from a comprehensive package that includes flexible working opportunities, generous annual leave, the NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, local discounts, access to on-site nurseries, reduced public transport costs, reward and recognition schemes and a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
Be part of Gloucestershire Hospitals, explore your future with us today.
Job overview
We are looking for a Medical Laboratory Assistant to join our team. You will be working with us to provide a service to cancer patients to ensure that they receive their results in a timely manner. You will be handling tissue samples and preparing chemicals and reagents
Will include Saturday working
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be involved in a range of tasks including receiving specimens and booking them into the laboratory information system.
You will be carrying out tissue and slide preparation techniques and supporting the scientists and medical staff in all areas of the laboratory
You will need to be able to understand and convey detailed information in a professional helpful manner. You will be working within a team and have an ability to prioritise workload and work well under pressure
Working for our organisation
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a staff of around 9000 and is dedicated to providing the Best Care for Everyone.
The Histology Department is based within the Pathology Department at Cheltenham General Hospital and is one of the biggest within the South West.
We have a team of medical staff, scientists and support staff working in a busy environment and are focused on providing a high quality efficient service.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The successful candidate will, amongst other duties, be required to:
Check that the correct sample type has been received, correct sample labelling and suitability for diagnostic investigations, in accordance with Pathology laboratory policies and standard operating procedures (SOP); to take appropriate action for non-compliances
Recognise, prioritise and fast-track urgent samples to ensure minimal delay to patient treatment and waiting times
To ensure that tissue taken is secured and safe for processing – many samples are unrepeatable
To input test requests, including tests, patient demographics, requesting clinician and location for report onto laboratory computer system in a timely fashion in order to maintain efficient workflow and laboratory turnaround times and taking into account the urgency of the request
To carry out embedding of paraffin wax processed tissue blocks under indirect supervision of an HPC registered Biomedical Scientist
To carry out paraffin block tissue sectioning using a microtome under indirect supervision of an HPC registered Biomedical Scientist
To perform regular maintenance of equipment, including instrument set up and shutdown, weekly/monthly maintenance and to keep accurate maintenance records
To act as the first point of contact for the Histology Department dealing with diverse and complex telephone enquiries from a variety of sources in a professional and polite manner and act appropriately upon information given. (This may range from requests for histology tests, requests for results, to being the first point of contact for complaints
Person specification
Qualifications / Experience
Essential criteria
- GCSEs in English and Science, A level Science or equivalent
- Previous Laboratory experience
- Good team worker
- Able to maintain levels of concentration for prolonged periods
- Ability to prioritise workload and cope under pressure
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of training staff
- Use Microsoft Office and other software packages
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Derek Peacey
- Job title
- Lead MLA
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 422 4219
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