Specialist Biomedical Scientist - Haematology

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories in Haematology/Transfusion. This service is provided 24/7 cover across four separate hospital sites.

This post may be offered under Annex 21 AfC Terms & Conditions, subject to experience, competency and suitability.

The laboratory based at the new CSSB facility at Royal Liverpool supports the Clatterbridge Cancer Care Hospital Liverpool and regional specialists’ services such as Haemophilia centre and the Haemoglobinopathy and Antenatal Screening Service.

The laboratory based at Aintree University Hospital supports the regions Trauma Centre. This laboratory also serves the Walton Neurological Centre.

Broadgreen Hospital, which is co-located with Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, is home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist rehabilitation.

The Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust is the main hospital delivering the highest standards of care for women, babies, and families.

**Note: Part-Time roles will be considered**

Main duties of the job

Main duties of this role are to perform the validation of analytical data prior to result reporting and the selection and provision of suitable blood and blood products. You will have experience of LIMS, other IT systems and of Quality Management Systems and you will be expected to train all other appropriate grades of staff and support the Senior Biomedical Scientists.

You will also support the operational functionality of the laboratory areas including calibrating, maintaining, and operating complex analytical equipment and regularly reviewing internal quality control and external quality assurance data trends.

The department is UKAS ISO 15189:2021 accredited and accredited by the IBMS as a training laboratory.

Our staff rotate across the sites so are experiencing different clinical needs and requirements specific to the hospital which adds to the interest in the role. Some areas require autonomous working which instils a great sense of achievement delivering the service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key responsibilities

• To assess the suitability and appropriateness of samples received, liaising with medical staff as appropriate.
• To ensure satisfactory completion and validation of routine and specialist haematology & transfusion analyses.
• To use specialist knowledge across a range of procedures, authorise test results and initiate further tests as appropriate, e.g., Paul Bunnell, haemaglobinopathy investigation, haematinics.
• To ensure data integrity when entering demographics and results into the laboratory information system.
• Use acquired skills and experience for film reporting, malaria diagnosis and selection of films for referral to Haematologist.
• To take responsibility for finishing, checking, validating, and authorising colleagues’ work as necessary.
• To check the validity and reliability of analytical processes, maintaining and monitoring satisfactory performance by internal quality control and external quality assessment.
• To ensure prompt referral of results, which exceed action limits, to senior or department medical staff, wards, and GPs, performing technical interpretation of partial, complex, or conflicting results to facilitate patient care.
• To set up and check instrumentation for correct operation, troubleshooting and correcting minor faults, reporting major faults to senior staff or instrument engineers as appropriate. Maintain instrument, QC and reagent logs, and utilise resources cost effectively. To monitor and store consumables and reagents.
• To assume enhanced responsibility in the absence of supervisory and other staff as necessitated by regular rota commitments.
• To take responsibility for selection of correct blood, and blood products, involving antibody identification and patient phenotyping, to make best use of stocks, and to ensure the integrity of all blood and blood products for patient transfusion, using, acquired knowledge of laboratory procedures and National Blood Transfusion guidelines.
• To participate in developmental work, performing specialised tests when necessary, and assisting in any clinical trials.
• To work independently at large, offsite, outpatient clinics providing POCT at a satellite laboratory requiring data entry, processing and generation of treatment reports. When required to visit wards, or clinics to perform ‘Bleeding Times’ on patients.
• To participate in the trusts annual joint review process, relevant to grade
• To provide a rapid, reliable and efficient results service by performing a comprehensive range of routine and specialist haematology & transfusion analyses, or referral to other providers as needed.
• To work within the accepted rules and procedures of both the Trust and the department.
• To apply specialised knowledge and skills in key areas where necessary.
• To offer guidance on the services available from the speciality, information about the analyses performed, and to refer medical queries to Haematologist for clinical advice.
• To communicate with clinical and haematology staff to resolve critical patient concerns.
• To assist in the supervision and instruction of trainee and less experienced Biomedical Scientists, laboratory assistants and support staff.
• To continually improve service provision, undertaking developmental work as required.

The Specialist Biomedical Scientist is a member of the clinical support team, whose purpose is to assist in the monitoring and treatment of patients within the hospital and community by offering accurate and timely analyses. They will be expected to apply professional judgement and developed specialist skills and knowledge to technically difficult situations, working under pressure as part of a team. They will inform users of the service on accepted laboratory protocols, communicating complex information concisely and clearly in critical situations in order to facilitate positive patient outcomes and early patient admission, referral or discharge.