Training will take place Monday - Friday until competencies are completed.

This advert may close early, if we have received a sufficient amount of applications. Therefore you are highly advised to apply as soon as possible if you are interested in this position.

Working for our organisation

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

For a full overview of the Job Description and Person Specification, please refer to the PDF document attached as an additional document to this advert.

Sample Preparation

• Receive and sort pathology samples.
• Distribute samples to departments.
• Label samples and prepare them for analysis.
• Record and inform service users and senior staff of requests received that do not comply with the NBT Policy for Request Form and Specimen labelling.
• Send and receive samples via the air tube system

Data Handling

• Enter data onto the laboratory computer system.
• Input and retrieval of data from department and other IT systems.

Telephone Helpdesk

• Deal with all telephone and e-mail enquiries in an appropriate manner.
• Respond to requests for test results and sample requirements.
• Refer calls to appropriate members of staff.

Housekeeping and Maintenance Tasks

• Dispose of clinical and non-clinical waste in accordance with Trust and departmental policies
• Clean and decontaminate working areas and equipment in accordance with laboratory protocols and record such actions.
• Assist with the use and maintenance of some laboratory equipment.
• Maintain adequate stocks of consumables

Person specification

Education/Training/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent in English, Maths and Science

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Essential criteria

• Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
• IT and keyboard skills
• Ability to work accurately and to deadlines
• Good telephone manner
• Ability to work within established health and safety guidelines

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of sample types and requirements
• Ability to undertake own work and exercise initiative under the supervision of qualified staff
• Ability to plan, prioritise and re-schedule workloads
• Ability to deal with confidential information appropriately

Work Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experience of using computer systems and data input

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working as a support grade worker in a UK Pathology Laboratory

Important Information

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.

BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.

If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.