Team Manager

Job overview

Team Manager role working in Synnovis essential services laboratories

Synnovis is a partnership between SYNLAB UK & Ireland, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Our organisation brings together the very best in clinical, scientific and operational expertise, and displays in action the core values at the heart of our brand: science for life, collaboration for the benefit of everyone, and innovation and quality

We aim to set the standard for the future of pathology.

As Team Manager you will have a key role in providing support and guidance to the specimen reception teams within Blood Sciences (BSL) to facilitate successful delivery of a first-class service to our patients.

This post is full time, 37.5 hours per week. You may be required to work out of hours shifts if required (lates, evenings, weekends or occasional nights).

Main duties of the job

You will work closely with the operation management teams within Blood Sciences and will be located at the essential services laboratories (ESLs). You will be based at King’s College Hospital site in Denmark hill.

You will demonstrate a good knowledge of the patient sample pathways between the ESLs and the Synnovis Hub at Blackfriars. You will manage staff rotas and participate in training and competency assessments in all areas of the reception. As well as laboratory-based activities, you will act as day to day supervisor for a team of medical laboratory assistants (MLAs) to ensure the successful delivery of pathology services, in line with our corporate objectives.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who is looking to further develop managerial skills within the laboratory environment.

The role is very fast paced and requires someone with excellent time management skills and a capacity to manage workload of team members as well as their own. Candidates must be flexible, have excellent communication & IT skills, and be able to adapt under pressure. A positive professional attitude and commitment to improving pre and post analytical processes are key.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Handle and manage samples, in line with SOPs and assessed competencies.
• Organise day-to-day tasks, identifying and prioritising urgent work to ensure that deadlines are met, and to the highest standards possible. Escalate to senior member of staff, as necessary.
• Ensure rota is covered and implement plans to reassign work or cover gaps as required.
• Perform and supervise cleaning activities, prepare pre-analytical equipment, perform daily checks, environmental monitoring and waste management activities, and complete all required paperwork.
• Prepare specimens and perform manual, semi-automated and fully-automated processes within training parameters and where appropriate under supervision.
• Work with Training Lead and ensure appropriate competency training is delivered.
• Demonstrate professionalism, patience and empathy when explaining technical issues, in particular when communicating with people who do not share the same level of knowledge or understanding.
• Undertake preventative maintenance and troubleshooting on pre-analytical instruments and equipment.
• Safely handle, use and dispose of biological specimens including infectious material or hazardous chemicals according to laboratory and health and safety protocols.
• Understand hazards and risks of working in a laboratory and use adequate precautions and personal protective equipment at all times.
• Ensure all laboratory samples, consumables and equipment are appropriately stored and maintained in line with SOPs, health and safety guidelines and recording protocols.
• Use departmental resources efficiently and apply good stock management of reagents, consumables and stationery. Receipt and unpack new deliveries and advise/order when approaching minimum stock levels.
• Supervise MLAs by mentoring and ensuring performance is in line with laboratory standards.
• Report and record all incidents and adverse events under the direction of the senior members of staff.
• Participate in quality management activities including inspections, audits and maintaining ISO 15189 accreditation, as required.
• Answer the telephone, deal with calls politely and professionally, escalating requests when necessary to appropriate senior staff or departments.
• Adhere to the SOPs and work with the team to review working practice to maintain a high quality and safe service.
• Perform specimen reception duties including checking details, receiving and logging patient requests on to the LIMS.
• Process referral specimens, receive samples dispatched from other laboratories and prepare samples for dispatch to other laboratories or hospitals.
• Seek practical advice from more experienced colleagues, including alignment with requirements of accreditation bodies and local management processes.
• Use LIMS to accurately record sensitive patient information, requiring frequent, long periods of concentration, whilst always maintaining patient confidentiality and following Information Governance (IG) guidelines.
• Complete any assigned laboratory administrative tasks including but not limited to: stock monitoring and ordering, logging of operational performance data.

Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London.

The partnership provides services to 1.7 million people living in South East London, as well as to hundreds of thousands of patients from outside the region who use local healthcare services.

The partnership provides diagnostics, testing and digital pathology for hospital trusts, GP services and other healthcare providers. King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s leading NHS Foundation Trusts in specialist teaching. King’s has various divisions including Neurosciences, Haematology, Cancer and Cardiovascular sciences, where there are unlimited opportunities to develop and perfect your career.

Over the last 170 years, King’s has delivered nothing but world class service to all its patients from deprived communities as well as some of the wealthiest in London.