Job overview
We have a Band 6 Specialist Biomedical Scientist post vacant within the Histology department based at Queen’s Hospital, Romford. The department receives 40,000 patient episodes(requests) per annum amounting to 73,000 plus specimens from a full range of care group specialties. For this post you must be HCPC registered, have completed the IBMS Specialist Portfolio in Cellular Pathology or have extensive recent experience working as a BMS in Histology. You must be currently working in a routine histology laboratory with experience of work in this field as a necessity. You should be friendly, professional, and pro-active, self-motivating, innovative and be able to demonstrate excellent communication (verbal and written), organisation and manual dexterity skills. You need to demonstrate a patient focused approach to work and detail how you are committed to continual improvement of self, the service, and your team. The department operates Monday to Friday but will look to move to extending this in 2026.
This post is based at Queen’s Hospital, but all staff must be prepared to work at King George Hospital if required.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will perform the scientific investigations required in the Department of Histology under the direction of the senior Biomedical Scientists. Delegated duties may include supervision of trainees, an involvement in training, quality and or health and safety.
The purpose of the role is to support the diagnostic service provided by the department to the trust.
Working for our organisation
We’re an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we’re proud of and our patients are happy with.
They are benefitting from a new electronic patient record (we were the last acute trust in London to introduce one) and our maternity services have been rated good by the Care Quality Commission.
We operate from two main sites – KGH in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 346,000 people visiting them last year. We’re campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen’s and get rid of corridor care.
We’re proud of our regional Neurosciences Centre, Radiotherapy Centre and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. We’re also part of the North East London Cancer Alliance.
We run a Women’s Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub. These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The majority of our 8,400 staff – who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We’re proud to be a London Living Wage employer.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.
The person specification listed below is not the full specification requirements for the role. Please ensure you review the full specification on the job description prior to submitting your application.
Applicants are advised to read all the information on the advert and the supporting information before completing and submitting an application. As you complete your application please ensure you clearly demonstrate how you meet the criteria in the person specification for this post by adequately completing the supporting information section of the application form.
All new staff appointed at the Trust are subject to a probationary period.
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
2. Specialist Diploma in Cellular Pathology (or demonstrable equivalent – extensive experience as a BMS in histology).
Experience / Knowledge
Essential criteria
3. Recent evidence and knowledge of in depth Histological practice and theory.
Desirable criteria
4. Knowledge of Pathology software.
5. Experience of working in the NHS
6. Evidence of digital pathology.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.