Healthcare Scientist Support Worker (Birmingham) - COVID-19

Public Health England (PHE) is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care providing; strategic leadership, research, advice and support for Government, local authorities and the NHS in protecting and improving the nation’s health

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
This is a Non Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules and is therefore open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals and certain non EEA members. For more information please refer to the supporting documents detailing the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

• For posts on PHE Civil Service terms and conditions, on appointment the salary is normally the minimum point (see salary range above). This will be dependent on the successful candidate’s current salary and terms and/or equivalent experience. The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change, most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. Please see attached an information sheet explaining starting salaries and benefits when joining PHE.
• For clinically ringfenced AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must obtain the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence on previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine starting salaries.

Any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.

Given the nature of the work of PHE, as a Category 1 department, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VACANCY WILL BE ADVERTISED FOR ONLY 9 DAYS

Public Health England (PHE) provides strategic leadership and vision for protecting and improving the nation’s health. Its ambition is to lead nationally and enable locally a transformation in the health expectations of all people in England regardless of where they live and the circumstance of their birth. It achieves this through the application of research, knowledge and skills. PHE is an executive agency of the Department of Health. It is a distinct delivery organisation with operational autonomy to advise and support Government, local authorities and the NHS in a professionally independent manner.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CAMPAIGN IS NOT BEING RUN IN LINE WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION RECRUITMENT PRINCIPLES!

Any Appointment offered will be via Exception to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and as such, specific rules to any appointment will apply.

For existing Civil Servants, please note that, as these roles are not being recruited to in line with Civil Service Recruitment Principles, any appointments will not be recognised as substantive promotion. Any offer will be considered a temporary promotion opportunity and you will require permission from your line manager to take up any post you are offered. It is recommended you discuss this with your line manager prior to submitting any application.

The Public Health Laboratory in Birmingham is a Public Health England (PHE) microbiology laboratory and is in partnership with Heart of England Foundation Trust (HoEFT). The microbiology partnership provides comprehensive microbiology services and specialist services to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull Hospital and general practitioners throughout the area.

Job Purpose / Summary

We are looking for a number of enthusiastic individuals to work in the laboratory where you will act as a Healthcare Scientist Support Worker (HSSW) to provide technical and clerical support to the scientific services to patients and clients as an aid to clinical diagnosis. You will be working as part of the laboratory team and will be expected rotate through various managed units within Microbiology, but specifically in support of testing for COVID-19. Good standard of general education i.e. GCSE’s (grade C or above) in English, maths, science or educated to NVQ 2 or equivalent level is essential. Previous laboratory experience would be an advantage but is not essential.

The successful candidate must be flexible, able to work in a team and use their own initiative.

The Laboratory operates a 7-day working week and the applicant will be required to work a maximum of 37.5 hours per week. The laboratory operates a 24-hour rota. The successful candidate will be required to work defined shifts, as required.

Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the person specification (available online) as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria.

For further information / an informal discussion about the post, please contact:

Sarah Gardiner on Sarah.Gardiner@phe.gov.uk or Judith Workman on Judith.Workman@phe.gov.uk

Option 3 – External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Public Health England promotes diversity in the workplace and is an equal opportunities employer

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: PHE Website