Senior Anatomical Pathology Technician

Job overview

An exciting job opportunity has arisen at UHBW Mortuary services. We are looking for a Qualified Anatomical Pathology Technician Level 4 or Diploma Level 3 for the position of Senior Anatomical Pathology Technician.

To help provide a specialist, safe, secure, effective and comprehensive mortuary and post mortem service for the needs of UHBW, Pathologists, Coroner and the community. This is a post for an experienced Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT) who holds the Diploma of Anatomical Pathology Technology and either holds or is working towards the Level 4 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology.

The post holder will be based at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and provide technical supervision for daily operations and ensure high‑quality after‑death care for Adult and Children. The post holder will support the UHBW Mortuary Management Team ensuring standards according to the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) are mainted at all times. The post holder will occasionally assist in supporting the Post Mortem service at Weston General Hospital.

The postholder will be required to participate in a 24/7 on call rota.

This job advert may close early if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been submitted

Main duties of the job

Job Summary

To provide technical leadership within the Mortuary, ensuring safe, compliant and high‑quality practice in line with legal, regulatory and Trust requirements. The role supports the Mortuary Management Team through staff supervision, professional development, training delivery and quality assurance, working closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure respectful and efficient care of the deceased.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and supervision, ensuring safe working practices and efficient use of resources.
• Supervise, mentor and train mortuary staff and other Trust employees in line with Trust policies.
• Support and deliver mortuary‑specific training programmes, including nurse and porter training.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, coronial law and the Human Tissue Act licence.
• Work collaboratively with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to the development, review and governance of SOPs, risk assessments, COSHH and change control processes.
• Support quality systems, including audits, incident reporting (Datix) and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee patient admission and release procedures and support post‑mortem and tissue retrieval activities.
• Ensure effective maintenance of mortuary equipment and facilities.
• Maintain ongoing professional development through relevant professional bodies.
• Participate in the mortuary on‑call, out‑of‑hours service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description attached to this vacancy.