NHS Blood and Transplant
Healthcare Assistant – Plasma
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Healthcare Assistant – Plasma
Plasma Healthcare Assistant
Job Summary
At NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), our Plasma Collections team do something incredible every single day and we are looking for Healthcare Assistants to join our Plasma Collections Centres. You will play a vital part in making sure our donors feel safe, special, and well cared for, and to create an experience that they will want to return to time and time again.
Plasma is part of your blood. It’s rich in antibodies, which can be concentrated into immunoglobulin medicines. These medicines save or improve the lives of around 17,000 people in England each year. They’re used to either boost immune system or calm down the immune system when it’s attacking someone’s own body.
This role is up to full time hours, so part-time or full-time can be considered, please note that the service is a 7-day service so you will need weekend availability, shifts are 8 hours long.
Main duties of the job
Our Healthcare Assistants in our Plasma Donor Centres, work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver an exemplary donor experience to each and every donor while collecting their plasma.
After training and assessment, you will carry out pre-donation checks, perform venipuncture (inserting a needle in the donor’s arm) and collect plasma. You will observe the donor’s wellbeing throughout the process and manage any adverse side effects from donation. You will be handling plasma product bags, needles and a range of equipment, daily.
The plasma we collect goes on to be manufactured into life-saving medicines so it’s vital that you work in line with regulatory clinical requirements and operational performance standards.
You’ll get to contribute to improving patients’ lives by working under the professional leadership of our Operational Nurse Team Leader. You will have an opportunity to develop yours and your colleague's knowledge, skills and capabilities through continued observations and meaningful feedback to deliver the life-saving work.
At NHSBT, we work and operate in a highly diverse environment, you will be expected to demonstrate NHS values and role modelling behaviours that drive inclusivity, safety, integrity, and respect for others always.
About You
Experience and Knowledge
- Experience of dealing with the public and putting the customer first
- Experience of dealing with sensitive or confidential matters and an understanding of how this applies to the role
- Experience of delivering a quality customer service
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Qualifications And Training
- Ability to follow written instructions, to develop a good underpinning knowledge relating to practical skills, for which you will receive training and ongoing assessment
- Willing to undertake further skill development for self and for supporting the training and induction of new team members, where required
About Us
It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.
Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do.
By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work – and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.
You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.
What We Offer
- Extensive Induction and Training Programme
- Rotas published 6 weeks ahead of time.
- No night shifts.
- Payments for unsociable hours, overtime and meal allowances where applicable.
- Flexible working options – we promote flexible working where the role allows. We’re happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you.
- Generous annual leave - 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
- Inclusive pension scheme - the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/information-about-nhs-pensions
- Supportive learning culture - we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning where colleagues are well-led, engaged, and encouraged to grow. We support you in reaching your full potential, both in your current role and future career. Our Thrive program embodies our commitment to learning and development, offering a wide range of activities to support your personal and professional growth. It’s open to everyone at NHSBT, ensuring you have the resources to succeed and shine in your role.
- Health and wellbeing support – we offer confidential services including occupational health, employee assistance programme, and wellbeing resources. Our support is available to all colleagues and we endeavour to provide tailored workplace adjustments where possible.
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As a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We will talk with you to explore any adjustments that may help you during the recruitment process.
You can find more information about accessibility, our culture, and how we support applicants on the NHSBT Careers website:
- Read about our application process
- Learn more about our culture at NHSBT
To learn more, please see the job description and person specification. These can be accessed via the link below, or by clicking ‘Apply’ if you are viewing this advert on another site.
Next steps
This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Tuesday 7th July 2026 however this vacancy may close sooner than the advertised deadline if we receive a high volume of applications, so we recommend applying early.
If you are shortlisted for this role, you will need to attend in person for a blood collection session tour so we can provide you with more in-depth understanding of this role. This will be followed by a face-to-face interview. We are unable to arrange virtual interviews or tours. Please also note that our travel policy does not allow for the payment of travel expenses.
The assessment process for this role will include: a session visit and an interview. Interviews are anticipated to be held the week commencing the 27th July 2026 – subject to confirmation.
For informal enquiries please contact –
- Name: Mark Bailey
- Job Title: Plasma Operations Manager
- Contact Details: Email – mark.bailey3@nhsbt.nhs.uk
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