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Job summary

Main area
Specimen Reception
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 2
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
249-7349744
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Western Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£24,465 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
07/09/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Biomedical Support Worker

NHS AfC: Band 2

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital. 

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

This role is an opportunity for an enthusiastic individual to join the Great Western Hospitals Specimen Reception section within the Blood Sciences department. 

The post holder will join a team of dedicated professionals working to deliver high quality test results and excellent care to patients across Swindon and the surrounding area. The Great Western Hospitals Blood Science department handles over 6 million test requests per year and offers a large repertoire of tests for our patients.

The post holder will act as a support worker and undertake tasks to book clinical samples into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and prepare a variety of sample types for scientific analysis.

The Blood Science department operates continually 24 hours a day, and as such there will be a need for a flexible approach to working times, covering a variety of shift patterns including early, day, late, night and weekend work.

Main duties of the job

All staff members are responsible for ensuring they conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Main duties of the role include booking clinical samples in the LIMS system, sorting samples from large delivery bags into organised batches to enable efficient booking in, interacting with clinicians and visitors to the lab over the phone and face-to-face, cleaning equipment and work surfaces to ensure a safe and clean working environment and following standard operating procedures and directions from senior and supervisor staff to complete tasks in a safe and efficient manner.

Working for our organisation

Our STAR values – Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect – are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

All staff members are responsible for ensuring they conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Main duties of the role include booking clinical samples in the LIMS system, sorting samples from large delivery bags into neat batches to enable efficient booking in, interacting with clinicians and visitors to the lab over the phone and face-to-face, cleaning equipment and work surfaces to ensure a safe and clean working environment and following standard operating procedures and directions from senior and supervisor staff to complete tasks in a safe and efficient manner.

Please see attached job description.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Basic English & Maths (GCSE or equivalent)
  • NVQ Level 2 or equivalent
Desirable criteria
  • Degree in Biomedical Science
  • Health and Safety training
  • Quality management training

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience working and communicating as part of a diverse team
  • Experience working in a high-through put environment
Desirable criteria
  • Broad knowledge of medical terminology
  • Experience working within an NHS laboratory environment

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in People: Goldhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kickstart-scheme-employer-resources/kickstart-scheme-brand-guidelinesStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Kirk Allott
Job title
Blood Science Laboratory Manager
Email address
[email protected]
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