Biomedical Assistant- Higher level - COVID-19 in Coventry

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust is one of the UK’s leading teaching Trusts, providing acute and specialist services to a population of over 1 million. We have a strong reputation for innovation, clinical research, teaching and high-quality patient care and are the principal teaching hospital for Warwick Medical School.

We employ over 9000 staff, have a turnover of £660 million and have 1.7 million patient contacts a year. The Trust comprises of two busy hospitals with over 1,300 beds and 32 operating theatres, running clinical services from a number of other sites.

Our vision is to be a national and international leader in healthcare; our values-driven organisational development programme and our UHCWi methodology developed through our partnership with the Virginia Mason Institute are key to us achieving this vision by focussing on improving services via lean methodology.

Pathology is the name for a group of laboratories that test clinical samples such as blood, urine, swabs and tissue and send the test results back to the health care professionals who have requested them. The results are then used to help diagnose health conditions and decide on the right treatment for patients. This might be to detect an infection such as Covid-19, diagnose cancer, match blood required for a transfusion or identify if a patient has diabetes. Pathology laboratories do a huge range of tests to support the work of the NHS and due to the current pandemic there has never been a time where Pathology staff have been needed more.

In the Coventry and Warwickshire area there are Pathology laboratories at University Hospital Coventry, George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, South Warwick Hospital and Queen’s Hospital in Burton all working together as a group. This organisation is called Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services (CWPS).

CWPS are looking for Biomedical Assistants to join the laboratory teams at University Hospital Coventry site and George Eliot Hospital.

Biomedical Assistants support the work of registered Biomedical Scientists who report test results. The role is varied according to the laboratory type and the site but includes duties such as data entry of patient and sample information, checking, labelling and preparation of diagnostic samples, performing basic maintenance on equipment, loading laboratory analysers, receiving and unloading deliveries, removing waste and dealing with telephone enquires.

CWPS are looking for candidates with experience in a customer facing role who have good communication skills and aptitude for on the job training. Scientific knowledge and previous laboratory experience is not essential as full training will be provided. Applications from candidates with a range of backgrounds are encouraged.

Please note that these posts are NOT Trainee Biomedical Scientist roles and unfortunately are NOT suitable for graduate candidates wishing to attain the IBMS registration portfolio. Such candidates will NOT be shortlisted.

Successful candidates will be expected to work on a 24/7 shift system basis. These posts are contracted at 37.5 hours per week.

Further information regarding the posts available at each site will be given at interview.

Closing Date

This job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested.