Job vacancy: Medical Laboratory Assistant Supervisor, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Prescot

Job summary

Main area: Pathology
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 409-7138615

Employer: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Whiston Hospital
Town: Prescot
Salary: £24,071 - £25,674 Per Annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 23/05/2025 23:59

Medical Laboratory Assistant Supervisor

NHS AfC: Band 3

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

Follow and assist in the authoring of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)
Receive and barcode all samples and request forms as appropriate.
Process samples through pre-analytical stages such as centrifugation.
Prioritise urgent samples for fast tracking and process add on requests
Correct errors of self and others to maintain database integrity.
Data entry of all patient identifiable information, clinical details and request details for all disciplines (with the exception of Blood Transfusion) into the Pathology Telepath system (accuracy is vitally important).
Interrogate the PAS system and Open Exeter systems to check patient details.
Carry out Telepath housekeeping – manual patient merges in Haematology, Biochemistry and Microbiology once patient information has been checked in the above systems and to notify Blood Transfusion of any mismatches.
Use of fax, photocopier and scanner as required.
Ensure that all reports are sorted and distributed to the relevant bodies through internal and external posting systems in a timely and efficient manner maintaining patient confidentiality.
Accurate filing and retrieval of reports including the scanning of request forms.
Work closely with all departments within the Pathology Directorate to ensure that a timely accurate service is delivered.
Timely preparation of GP consumable orders
Support first-line call-centre and maintenance for the pneumatic air tube and escalation to engineers
Maintain good working relations with all members or staff and to promote effective teamwork.
Actively participate in team meetings and deputise for lead supervisor as necessary.
Regularly report to lead supervisor and manager, issues surrounding delivery of an efficient service and takes part in planning future service requirements/developments.
Respond to telephone enquiries from service users, patients, relatives and departmental colleagues with correct use of telephone and logging system.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintain and promote the professional image of the Department of Pathology, Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospital

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

Prepare rotas to ensure delivery of service in Data Entry, Pathology Reception and General Office Duties.
Prepare rotas to cover 24/7. Organise voluntary rota for some weekends and Bank Holidays.
Verify accuracy of staff time sheets and identify gaps in service
Carry out risk assessments as necessary
Conduct data quality checks to ensure the quality of the information inputted by all pathology staff meets the minimum data criteria.
Ensure all archiving systems comply with departmental policies.
Assist the Lead Supervisor / Manager in the verification of invoices.
Responsible for the stock control of all consumables supplied / used in this area, reporting low levels to lead supervisor and / or manager.

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES

Attend appropriate courses as agreed with lead supervisor at appraisal.
Deliver training for all grades of staff in all appropriate areas including the Pathology
Computer system, PAS and Open Exeter, OCS, Sunquest ICE etc.
Ensure delivery of training for all grades of staff in all aspects of Pathology Support
Ensure all training and training needs are accurately recorded.
Provide update reports upon request from manager.
Ensure mandatory training is in place for all Pathology Support staff.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

You will be expected to work unsupervised, occasionally single-handed, managing your own workload and supervising the Pathology Support team, reporting on progress and any problems to your manager as necessary.
Ensure that equipment is used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and is maintained correctly.
Notify equipment/general building fitting failures to the appropriate senior person.
Provide direct supervision of the team working during standard hours.
Ensure maximum efficiency rotating staff to ensure service delivery is maintained within the area.
Conduct appraisals for Pathology Support staff and assist in producing personal development plans.
Perform back to work interviews for Pathology Support staff in accordance with the Trusts Sickness and Absence Policy.
Represents Pathology Support staff at the Pathology Staff Committee Meeting.
Participate in the Pathology Audit Team Meetings, Clinical Pathology Accreditation Audits and own departmental audits as appropriate.
Investigate and reports adverse incidents via IR1 notification forms.
Deputise for the Lead Supervisor where appropriate in their absence.
Deal with problems and query’s commensurate with grade
Ensuring that any necessary fixtures and fittings requiring repair are planned.
Responsible for ensuring that the Pathology store room is maintained in a tidy and orderly fashion.
Reviewing stock levels with Pathology Porter to ensuring appropriate stock rotation.

RESEARCH & AUDIT

Participate in departmental clinical trials, audit, research and development programmes.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

ECDL qualification or equivalent experience
Educated to GCSE level or equivalent Qualification / experience
RSA/OCR level 3 typing or equivalent Qualification / experience

Desirable criteria

NVQ level 3/4 or certificate in supervisory management or equivalent experience

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Knowledge of medical terminology
IT literate

Desirable criteria

NHS clinical laboratory experience
Previous supervisory experience

Skills

Essential criteria

Clear understanding of Caldicott and Data Protection Act
Lead the team encompassing new initiatives and skills

Other

Essential criteria

Flexibility/Availability for working hours

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [email protected]

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

· All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.

· There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.

· Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.