Job summary
- Main area
- Biomedical Science - Infection Sciences
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 319-7845136JA
- Employer
- Northumbria Healthcare - NHCT Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- North Tyneside General Hospital
- Town
- North Shields
- Salary
- £39,959 - £48,117 pro rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/06/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Specialist Biomedical Scientist
Band 6
Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work for an organisation that was voted the best acute and combined acute and community trust in the country, based on the experience of its staff (NHS Staff Survey 2022). Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare and, this is…the Northumbria Way!
What the Northumbria Way means for you:
- Extensive staff health and well-being programme including access to our specialist Wellbeing Hub
- Support and connection through a variety of Staff Network groups
- A range of flexible working opportunities
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- Access to lease car and home electronics scheme (qualifying criteria applies)
- Opportunities to improve your professional development through our vast training programmes
- Access to savings scheme via salary sacrifice with Northumberland Community Bank
We work closely with Kids First Nurseries that are based within our trust grounds at Wansbeck, North Tyneside and Hexham hospitals to care for our Trust family's children, they offer care for children from 6 weeks old up to 4 years. There are a number of funding options run by the government to help working parents, including Early Years Funding and Tax Free Childcare.
Flexible working offers choice in where, when, and how we work, ensuring patients remain at the heart of all we do. It’s open to everyone, and we aim to find solutions that work for both you and the organisation. All arrangements must be reasonable and balanced to maintain safe and effective patient care.
We are proud to be one of the country’s top performing NHS trusts – rated ‘outstanding’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide a range of health and care services to support more than 500,000 people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside across the largest geographical area of any NHS Trust in England. Our teams deliver care from hospitals, a range of community venues and people’s homes. Our hospitals include a specialist emergency care hospital (the first of its kind in England), three general hospitals and community hospitals. In the community we deliver a wide range of community and public health services.
We lead in innovation and quality, having opened the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub during the Covid-19 pandemic and have recently launched our Community Promise – a pledge to make a real impact not just in healthcare but on the wider factors that affect people’s lives, such as education, employment and the economy.
If Northumbria Healthcare sounds like somewhere you could belong we would love to hear from you. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.
Whilst Northumbria Healthcare are a highly innovative organisation, the use of Third Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.
Job overview
Applications are invited from Biomedical Scientists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council to join our Microbiology team.
We are looking for enthusiastic motivated individuals to work in our busy, UKAS accredited laboratory. You can be newly qualified or experienced in Microbiology, as your banding will reflect this.
The posts will be based at North Tyneside Hospital and there is a requirement to participate in our 24/7 service provision, which covers the full 24 hour period, Monday to Sunday, including all bank holidays.
Applications are welcomed from experienced Biomedical Scientists and from Biomedical Scientists working towards completion of the IBMS Specialist Diploma or MSc in Biomedical Science.
ANNEX 21: Applicants who do not yet meet the full Band 6 criteria may be appointed under Annex 21 arrangements, with automatic progression to Band 6 on successful completion of the required qualification.
|
Period of Training |
Pay |
|
More than 3 years from completion of training |
60% of the pay band maximum |
|
More than 2 but less than 3 years prior to completion of training |
65% of the pay band maximum |
|
More than one but less than 2 years prior to completion of training |
70% of the pay band maximum |
|
Up to 12 months to completion of training |
75% of the pay band maximum |
Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will carry out the role of a Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology and will rotate through all sections of the laboratory including bacteriology, serology, molecular, mycology and parasitology.
You will perform all designated duties in accordance with local standard operating procedures (SOPs), and perform and interpret routine and specialist biomedical investigations autonomously, following required training and competency assessment. You will provide high quality patient results efficiently, and within the given turnaround times under the supervision of senior staff. You will need to provide professional leadership to Training Biomedical Scientists, Healthcare Science Associates, Medical Laboratory Assistants, and provide technical advice to clinicians as to the appropriateness of tests and timescales.
Please note that appropriate training will be given depending on the successful applicants qualifications and previous experience.
Working for our organisation
We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, in addition to our state-of-the-art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. We also care for people in their homes and provide services from facilities in local communities such as health centers. We give people greater choice and control over their care to help them to live independently at home and avoid hospital admission where appropriate. High quality patient care is at the heart of everything we do and we strive to ensure every single patient and service user has an exceptional experience with us. We have one of the most extensive patient experience programmes of any trust in England.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will perform scientific and technical duties as required, within the post-holders training and competence.
Scientific / Technical
Carry out all laboratory investigations and analyses, including reporting results, maintaining appropriate records and documentation.
Assist with the production, maintenance and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Participate in the departments 24/7 service provision, as required.
Undertake quality control procedures and examine quality control results to identify poor performance and initiate appropriate corrective and preventative action.
Participate in the operation and routine maintenance of equipment. The laboratory has a number of diagnostic systems, including WASP, Vitek II XL, Vitek MS Prime, BD BacTec, Panther Plus and Fusion, GeneXpert, BioFire TORCH, VIDAS3, Cobas, DS2, Liaison XL, and Seegene.
Ensure that your personal work activity is managed to make effective use of time and maintain a sufficient supply of laboratory consumables, reagents and equipment.
Ensure the competent and efficient use of digital data management systems, including Clinisys Winpath and Q-pulse.
Assist in the supervision, training and teaching of staff and contribute to the departments training plan.
Maintain a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) portfolio and undertake training, courses and other activities to satisfy HCPC requirements.
Assist with the development, evaluation, verification and implementation of new methods and technologies.
Ensure that safe working practices are followed in accordance with the departmental Health and Safety Policy and risk assessments.
Be aware of and adhere to Trusts policies, including those relating to sickness absence, health and safety, discipline, grievance, and performance.
Ensure compliance with all mandatory requirements including patient confidentiality and the Data Protection Act.
Work flexibly and undertake other duties compatible with your work grade as required.
GENERAL DUTIES
To participate in the provision of a high quality Microbiology service that meets UKAS standards.
Assist the department with continuous improvement including audit.
Person specification
Qualifications/Professional Registration
Essential criteria
- BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences (or equivalent) accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS)
- IBMS Certificate of Competence (or equivalent) with HCPC registration as a Biomedical Scientist
- Evidence of CPD
- IBMS Specialist Diploma in a specialty relevant to the post, or demonstrate equivalent additional professional development, training and education with appropriate relevant post registration experience.
Desirable criteria
- MSc Biomedical Sciences or relevant postgraduate qualification (or working towards)
Experience
Essential criteria
- In-depth theoretical and practical specialist knowledge in a pathology discipline obtained post registration
- Knowledge equivalent to postgraduate diploma level through specialist training and CPD
- Application of specialist theoretical and practical knowledge within own pathology discipline
Desirable criteria
- Experience in an NHS pathology laboratory
- Experience in training
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
- Annie Ward
- Job title
- Senior Biomedical Scientist - Microbiology
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0191 2932528
- Additional information
Jane Haswell - Service Manager Microbiology
0191 2934172
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