Job Overview
Welcome to Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and thank you for considering us as your choice of employer.
We take great pride in our staff, and we believe that investing in ‘You’ is key in our ability and capacity to deliver high quality services and patient care across Frimley Park, Wexham Park and Heatherwood Hospitals.
We are looking for energetic, enthusiastic and well-motivated Registered Biomedical Scientists who are looking for permanent posts to complement the Bacteriology Department within Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services.
We are in looking for 1 Band 6 Specialist BMS and 2 band 5 BMS's (1 full time and 1 part time- 2 days a week).
The laboratory is currently developed with a Kiestra system, MALDITOF and PCR techniques.
Applications are invited from HCPC registered BMS staff who have completed or in the process of completing the IBMS Specialist Portfolio or equivalent.
You will work in rotation with other staff in all sections of the laboratory. You must be keen to embrace new ways of working and develop your knowledge and skills.
You will be expected to participate in the full shift rota, covering early and late shifts, weekends and on call duties during the week.
Our busy laboratory is fully accredited with UKAS 151089 and HCPC training status.
You will be expected to work according to our working time compliant shift system and may be required to work at other network sites such as Frimley Park to maintain quality, training and service requirements.
Main duties of the job
- To perform the diagnostic microbiology examination and reporting of specimens received in order to aid patient treatment and care.
- To use interpretive skills on culture plates and complex analysers combined with the Laboratory Information Management Computer System in order to deliver the diagnostic microbiology service to our users.
- The diagnostic work of the department includes processing, for example, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, faeces, sputum, tissues and diverse secretions.
- Processed samples are then interpreted for the presence of pathogens, these could be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic.
Working for our organisation
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.
Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.
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Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
- To participate in the analytical work of all aspects of the microbiology department to ensure that the most efficient microbiology service is provided for the users of the department.
- To work as part of the team, or independently, processing specimens and producing accurate relevant diagnostic results, by the interpretation of clinical information and specimen type against the organisms isolated or detected.
- To initiate and interpret microscopy examinations, complex biochemical profiles, agglutination patterns and antibiotic sensitivity patterns as necessary.
- To make judgements and initiate follow up tests as required.
- To authorise diagnostic results using judgement and departmental guidelines ensuring they are correct, complete and clear and are within the departmental guidelines.
- To refer to more senior Scientific/ Medical staff as required.
- To monitor the performance of other staff to ensure that departmental standards of work are maintained.
- To be responsible for maintaining and recording accurate records pertaining to work and quality control including the recording of findings on the Laboratory Information Management System.
- To act on any results and initiate corrective action as necessary.
- To inform the section leader of any such occurrences.
For further information regarding the detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the attached job description and person specification documents.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working as part of a team.
- Some experience of diagnostic microbiology.
- Ability to work effectively under time and workload pressures.
- Evidence of proven commitment to continued personal and professional development
- Confidence within parameters of role.
- Understanding that work relates directly to patient care.
- Experience of working in a relevant laboratory.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of serological techniques.
- Molecular biology technical expertise.
- Friendly and interactive in working group
- Committed to working in healthcare environment.
- Specific career plan and educational aspirations.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Good team member.
- Ability to work independently for periods of time.
- Ability to follow written and verbal instructions.
- Able to understand department attention to detail.
- Ability to ensure good laboratory practice.
- Observant of detail, ability to make basic judgement decisions.
- Ability to prioritise tasks and organise daily work.
- Able to understand and follow Standard Operating Procedures.
- Awareness of Pathology H&S procedures.
- Complies with local H&S procedures.
- Ability to organise own work to fit with departmental or section rotas.
- Ability to work to departmental or section deadlines
- Understanding of robust quality management system, internal & external.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to perform some scientific calculations & data analysis.
- Ability to perform some statistical analysis of data & interpretation.
- Knowledge of duties required to support specialist biomedical scientific staff gained by significant experience in a similar role
- Understanding of audit process.
- Understanding of relevant accreditation or regulatory standards.
Special Requirements
Essential criteria
- Available to work the extended working week operated in SPS.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- HCPC Registered Biomedical Scientist.
- BSc Biomedical Science or equivalent.
- IBMS Certificate of Competence
- Willing to undergo relevant training to ensure sound relevant knowledge.
Desirable criteria
- BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science.
- ECDL.
- IBMS member at Associate or Licentiate level
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.
We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.
We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.
Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.
Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.
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