Job vacancy: Healthcare Science Assistant, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary

Job summary

Main area: 317 Histology Non Med Staff - Corporate
Grade: Band 2
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Includes participation in Saturday Rota)
Job ref: 317-2025-21-28-DR

Employer: The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Royal Victoria Infirmary
Town: 317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary
Salary: £24,169 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 01/06/2025 23:59
Interview date: 13/06/2025

Healthcare Science Assistant

Band 2

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.

We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.

We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

A Healthcare Science Assistant (HSA) is part of a clinical support team whose purpose is to provide timely and accurate high quality scientific information that will assist service users from the hospital and community, in the establishment of a clinical diagnosis and monitoring of patient treatment.
The HCSA will use practical skills to carry out a variety of laboratory duties including reception and data entry of requests received and some basic pathological tests under the supervision and guidance of a Biomedical Scientist.
To assist in the preparation of specimens for analysis, including booking in patient and specimen details, storing, retrieving and disposing of specimens.
To carry out, under supervision, some laboratory procedures (e.g. embedding, microtomy of simple cases,) and the operation of laboratory equipment e.g. microtome, Faxitron X ray machine, cassette labelling machine, slide staining machine.
Label stained microscope slides and match them to correct request form
Match labelled tissue cassettes with request form.
Filing and retrieval of slides and tissue blocks both in the laboratory and at the offsite archive.
Record on request form dictated specimen details during the dissection of tissue samples by medical and scientific staff.
To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors.
To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any non-compliances to a senior member of staff.
Ensure the risk of infection to yourself, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:
- being familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance on infection prevention and control
- attending Trust Induction Programme(s) and statutory education programmes in infection prevention and control
- including infection prevention and control as an integral part of your continuous personal/professional development
- taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care acquired infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently by you and your colleagues

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential criteria

Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English, Maths and Science or equivalent qualification (e.g. NVQ Level 2 in Clinical Laboratory Support)

Knowledge & Experience

Desirable criteria

Understanding of a basic range of routine laboratory processes including assisting in basic sample processing, using laboratory equipment
Basic understanding of human biology
Previous NHs Laboratory experience
Understanding of Health and Safety
Experience of using Laboratory equipment

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria

Good communication skills
Good keyboard/typing skills
Able to concentrate for long periods of time
Good hand-eye coordination
Attention to detail
Self organisation and ability to prioritise
Able to concentrate for long periods
Able to meet the physical requirements of the role (Lifting weights of 10kg or more and carry out repetitive tasks for prolonged periods of time)
Ability to tolerate exposure to samples of a distressing nature and prolonged exposure to unpleasant smells

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.