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Job summary

Main area
Histopathology
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
276-7290138-AfC
Employer
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Queen Victoria Hospital
Town
East Grinstead
Salary
£24,937 - £26,598 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
20/07/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust logo

Histopathology Administration Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 3

Welcome to Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and thank you for your interest.

In addition to receiving tertiary referrals from across the South East of England, we have a network  of ‘spoke’ sites at district general hospitals enabling our consultants to offer their expertise with routine treatments and consultations as close to patients’ homes as is possible. With the recent addition of video led ‘virtual’ consultations we also enable patients who have some distance to travel to avoid the additional stress and worry of a long journey.

Working at QVH combines the excitement, challenge and career opportunities of many larger organisations with the satisfaction of delivering excellent patient care that really does re-build our patients’ lives. 

We also offer attractive benefits such as 

  • tailored personal development to support career aspirations, including accredited clinical and management development programmes
  • flexible working arrangements for a work-life balance that suits you and your needs
  • a dedicated reward programme, offering a range of national and local discounts, cashback and tax relief schemes

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sustainability

At Queen Victoria Hospital we want to be the first Net Zero Hospital in England, and to achieve that wants every member of staff to be a green champion.  The way in which the Trust works has a significant impact on the organisation’s carbon footprint and that of our patients. From the heat, light and power supplies within the hospital to avoiding unnecessary patient journeys, the Trust is empowering all staff to create a sustainable health and care environment for future generations. The Trust expects all staff to reuse and recycle more, to use energy and water efficiently, to walk or cycle to work if you can, and to have a focus on sustainability in the workplace. 

You can view our Green Plan here: Green Plan - Queen Victoria Hospital (qvh.nhs.uk)

Job overview

An excellent opportunity has arisen for the role of Admin Assistant within our busy Histopathology Department at the Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH)!  We are seeking a friendly, motivated, and organised individual to join our team, working full-time hours to support our Medical Secretaries, Biomedical Scientists and Consultant Histopathologist's.

This is an exciting opportunity to support a dynamic team and make a real difference in the patient experience. As a key part of the administrative team, you will play a vital role in ensuring the smooth running of day-to-day operations. 

The Histopathology Department provides a routine histology and frozen section service for the trust. The trust is the regional centre for Maxillofacial, corneoplastic and plastics/burns surgery. In addition the department also receives specimens from out-lying plastic outpatients, Maxillofacial clinics and local dental practitioners. In total approximately 20,000  cutaneous, soft tissue, head and neck and corneoplastic surgical specimens are processed by the department by annum,

This is a fantastic chance to contribute to meaningful service development while gaining experience in a fast-paced and supportive environment. If you are proactive, detail-oriented, and passionate about supporting high-quality patient care, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.

For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the 'Job Description and Main Responsibilities' section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.

You must possess good organisational skills and be able to work as part of a team as well as under your own initiative. The work is interesting and varied and the emphasis is on accuracy and attention to detail. Full training will be given.

Working for our organisation

Rated GOOD overall with outstanding care by the CQC.  A specialist NHS hospital providing life-changing reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services across the South of England and beyond.

We specialise in conditions of the eyes (corneoplastics), hands, head and neck cancer and skin cancer, reconstructive breast surgery, maxillofacial surgery and prosthetics, providing regional and national services in these areas of clinical expertise. Our world-leading clinical teams also treat more common conditions of the eyes, hands, skin, and teeth for the people of East Grinstead and the surrounding areas. In addition, QVH provides a minor injuries unit, expert therapies, a sleep service, and a growing portfolio of community-based services. Patients consistently rate QVH amongst the top hospitals in the country for quality of care. 

Our success is underpinned by the skills and enthusiasm of our staff and a strong culture of partnership. We are fully committed to training and development of the workforce with support for continuing education and learning.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

- To assist with the smooth daily running of the Histology administration services and work to prioritise and manage the workload.

Accurately enter data from histology request forms onto the laboratory computer system when required by secretaries.

- Filing of request forms.

- Retrieval and filing of blocks and slides from lab/store as required

-  Responsible for preparation and packaging of referral slides/blocks for despatch to other laboratories/ reference centres.

-  Responsible for receiving/signing back in of slides/blocks.

- Responsible for typing up of clinical details after dissection.

-  Responsible for confirming frozen section bookings and updating diary with any cancellations

- Responsible for typing Histopathology reports into the pathology computer system.

- Responsible for dealing with email requests.

- Responsible for preparing reports for MDT.

- Responsible for dealing with requests for second opinions and managing requests for referral materials (including BRAF) to be packaged and sent to other hospitals.

- Receive telephone enquiries for results and respond appropriately or redirect to Consultant Pathologist

- Respond appropriately to enquiries from medical staff, secretaries and patients as to results of test

- Arranging deliveries and packaging cases to be sent for outsourcing to Consultants as other hospitals.

- Dealing with Consultant requests for additional work via email, ensuring laboratory staff are aware.

- This list is not exhaustive.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • • GCSEs of a good grade, particularly in Maths and English
Desirable criteria
  • • Evidence of further education

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Previous NHS / Healthcare experience/admin role
Desirable criteria
  • • Experience with digital dictation

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • • Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office/medical terminology
Desirable criteria
  • • Understanding of Clinical Governance

Skills

Essential criteria
  • • IT literate, with an eye for detail • Accuracy/numeracy • Attention to detail • Good time management skills • Excellent administrative and communication skills
Desirable criteria
  • Basic understanding of clinical pathways, especially cancer referral and diagnostic pathways.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant Bronze Award

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Aneela Arshad
Job title
Laboratory Services Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01342 306634

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
Holtye Road
East Grinstead
RH19 3DZ
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