Job overview
We are looking an enthusiastic person to join Pathology in our Pre-Analytical Area as a Medical Laboratory Assistant Band 2. You will be part of a team that provides a high quality and effective service to support our Haematology and Biochemistry laboratories. The Pre-Analytical Area processes up to 6000 samples per day and is the first point of contact and an important part of the patient pathway. All samples enter the laboratory through the Pre-Analytical Area and are fed to the specialist laboratories, Haematology, Blood Transfusion, Biochemistry, Immunology, Microbiology and Histology. The Pre-Analytical Area is extremely important to the care of our patients.
Full Time and Part Time positions will be considered. The department is open 24/7 and you will be required to work overnight as part of your rostered hours and occasional weekends on an additional rota.
Please note that on this occasion we cannot consider this role to support IBMS registration portfolios.
Main duties of the job
You will have the ability to work well within a large team and have a meticulous orderly approach to your work.
You will be able to work under pressure and still be accurate.
You will unpack a range of blood samples, recognise and fast-track urgent samples.
The main focus of the role is to input test requests onto the computer system with a high degree of accuracy and to barcode label samples as they arrive into the department.
When working on the urgent bench you will need to be able to move from one task to another and be able to remain focused.
We work across sites at both Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and the successful applicant will be required to work at both sites.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will have the ability to work well within a large team and have a meticulous orderly approach to your work. You will be able to work under pressure and still be accurate.
You will unpack a range of blood samples, recognise and fast-track urgent samples.
The main focus of the role is to input test requests onto the computer system with a high degree of accuracy and to barcode label samples as they arrive into the department.
When working on the urgent bench you will need to be able to move from one task to another and be able to remain focused.
You will be able to work across sites.
You will be able between 7.30am to 21.00pm as rostered and to work overnight and weekends on a rota basis
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in an environment where accuracy and precision are vital
- Experience in a role where there is a high volume of data entry
- Experience of team working, good team player
Desirable
- Experience of Working in an NHS Laboratory
- Experience in a customer service/customer facing role
- Call-Centre experience
- Experience in using TRAC (TCLE)
Knowedge and Skills
Essential
- Experience of common IT software
- Able to work at both sites, Cheltenham and Gloucester
- Flexible - Able to work evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays
- Able to prioritise tasks and organise a busy work load
- Able to work under pressure without loss of concentration
- Understanding Trust requirements for confidentiality and data protection
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- GCSE's in IT, Science, Mathematics and English
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Medical Laboratory Assistant, Band 2 Pre-Analytical with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Cheltenham, South West, England. It is listed as a Band 2 Health science services role. The advertised salary is £25,272 (pa, pro rata if part time). The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 28 Jul 2026.
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