Job overview
The Lead Transfusion Specialist Nurse/ODP/BMS is required to function strategically and operationally as an autonomous cross-site specialist, promoting safe and appropriate transfusion practice within the Trust and community hospitals delivering a transfusion service.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for assessing the training needs of approximately 2,500 staff across the RJAH footprint. This will involve maintaining and coordinating education programmes, and where necessary, including clinical trainees, designing, developing and implementing new training ideas for nursing, medical and multidisciplinary staff, in the management of patients requiring and receiving blood and blood components. The post holder will be responsible for managing all aspects of clinical risk in this area and in ensuring that agreed protocols are followed. The post holder will utilise their extensive knowledge and skill base to provide specialist/technical support to the Blood Transfusion Department, in relation to all aspects of the transfusion process, working in collaboration with the Blood Bank Biomedical Scientist (BMS) staff.
This will also involve coordinating the Trust-wide response to fulfil Department of Health hemovigilance requirements such as the patient blood management framework, NICE (NG24) recommendations, Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 (enforced by the competent authority of the MHRA), enabling the Trust to meet the requirements of Clinical Governance, the National Patient Safety Agency recommendations, Care Quality Commission regulations and CPA and European directives associated with the transfusion process. The role is Trust-wide and duties cover all disciplines and associated with the transfusion process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Lead Transfusion Specialist Nurse/ODP/BMS is required to function strategically and operationally as an autonomous cross-site specialist, promoting safe and appropriate transfusion practice within the Trust and community hospitals delivering a transfusion service.
The post holder will be responsible for assessing the training needs of approximately 2,500 staff across the RJAH footprint. This will involve maintaining and coordinating education programmes, and where necessary, including clinical trainees, designing, developing and implementing new training ideas for nursing, medical and multidisciplinary staff, in the management of patients requiring and receiving blood and blood components.
The post holder will be responsible for managing all aspects of clinical risk in this area and in ensuring that agreed protocols are followed. The post holder will utilise their extensive knowledge and skill base to provide specialist/technical support to the Blood Transfusion Department, in relation to all aspects of the transfusion process, working in collaboration with the Blood Bank Biomedical Scientist (BMS) staff. This will also involve coordinating the Trust-wide response to fulfil Department of Health hemovigilance requirements such as the patient blood management framework, NICE (NG24) recommendations, Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 (enforced by the competent authority of the MHRA), enabling the Trust to meet the requirements of Clinical Governance, the National Patient Safety Agency recommendations, Care Quality Commission regulations and CPA and European directives associated with the transfusion process. The role is Trust-wide and duties cover all disciplines and associated with the transfusion process.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience, knowledge and understanding of blood transfusion practice
- Proven commitment to support staff teaching, research and education
- Able to work autonomously and as part of a team, while working across organisational boundaries
- Five years post registration experience
- Able to participate in data collection, data input and presentation of results in relation to auditing
- Ability to recognise need for change and work within the Hospital Transfusion Team to initiate the change process
- Excellent analytical skills
- Ability to educate, teach and train staff across a wide range of roles
- Able to develop and update policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Computer skills, to include use of Excel, Word and PowerPoint
- Able to collate and present information and data to corporate-level groups in a confident and professional manner
Desirable
- Extensive understanding of relevant national policies and UK law in relation to transfusion practice (e.g. BSQR 2005, Patient Blood Management policies)
- Project management experience
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
- Ability and genuine enthusiasm to impart complex information to multi-professional groups of staff
- Ability to gain respect and credibility within multidisciplinary team and influence
- Ability to prioritise own time, and effective at workload management
- Ability to receive and assimilate complex information from multi-professional agencies
- Robust emotional attitude to competing work demands, change management requirements and tight time schedules
- Can do/positive attitude, enjoys working alone for a high proportion of the time
- Proven management and leadership skills
Desirable
- Works well under pressure, meets deadlines, change agent
Skills and Attributes
Essential
- To be well organised with a flexible and positive approach to work, with an enthusiastic and motivated attitude
- Calm and efficient manner with excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to handle conflict in an assertive but sensitive manner across the multidisciplinary team
- To lead and be innovative, to work methodically and prioritise without supervision with lateral thinking ability
- Can interpret and produce high quality information at a corporate level
- To establish and maintain good working relationships within a multidisciplinary team and with staff at all levels
- Ability to work under pressure and prioritise workload effectively without direct supervision, uses own initiative
- Has good levels of critical thinking skills, problem solving ability and can think creatively to stimulate action
- Able to interpret information, analyse and present information according to need; and use for comparison, planning, monitoring and improvement
- Commitment to maintain and improve Standards of Care and institute necessary change to deliver this
- Has excellent ability to make accurate and concise written and verbal reports
- Ability to concentrate even with frequent interruptions and unpredictable working pattern
Qualifications/Training
Essential
- NMC Registered General Nurse or HCPC registered Operating Department Practitioner/HCPC registered Biomedical Scientis
Desirable
- MSc in health-related subject
- Teaching qualification
- Evidence of CPD
Knowledge (including specialist or technical knowledge required)
Essential
- Frequent exposure to blood samples and units of blood components
- Knowledge of transfusion science and practice and of current issues in blood transfusion
- Must be able to concentrate for prolonged periods of time
- Ability to participate in and apply current research and audit outcomes
- Excellent knowledge of Governance and Risk Management
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Lead Transfusion Specialist Nurse/ODP/BMS with The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Oswestry, Midlands, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Operating department practitioner role. The advertised salary is £49,387 - £56,515 per annum pro rata. The contract type is Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity Cover). The application deadline is 05 Aug 2026.
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