University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Band 3 Medical Laboratory Assistant
The closing date is 08 May 2026
This is an exciting opportunity to join UHB, one of the largest teaching hospitals in England with state of the art facilities and employing over 20,000 colleagues across 4 sites (Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope & Solihull hospitals).
We are looking to employ a Medical Laboratory Assistant to assist our HCPC registered Biomedical Scientists within Clinical Microbiology.
As an MLA, you will have some knowledge of biomedical procedures and are responsible for processing patient specimens for biomedical testing and maintaining all records involved in the diagnostic pathway after receiving appropriate training and ability to demonstrate competence. This includes receiving, sorting, labelling and preparing specimens; resolving issues such as mislabelled or missing samples, performing reception duties, data entry, dealing with telephone enquiries and relaying test results to clinicians and other healthcare workers, performing general housekeeping duties.
Depending on competency assessment, you may be required to operate specialist laboratory equipment. You will provide support for and assist with the induction/training of new entrant medical laboratory staff and support with Qpulse and the laboratory quality management system where appropriate.
You will be guided by standard operating procedures but also propose improved ways of working to the working area/laboratory section. You will deal with routine enquiries and know when to seek advice/when to refer nonroutine matters to a supervisor.
Main duties of the job
* To safely handle, use and dispose of biological samples.
* To receive, check conditions and record details of incoming goods.
* To collect, receive, sort, check patient and request details, label and process and where appropriate, dispatch patient samples in line with departmental procedure.
* To report to the relevant supervisor or manager any errors or incidents in line with departmental procedure.
* Prepare reagents according to standard operating procedures as directed by a supervisor or manager.
* Perform a range of laboratory tests following standard operating procedures that require speed, accuracy and good hand‑eye coordination.
* Perform daily housekeeping duties, for example tidying and cleaning benches and work areas, cleaning, decontamination and maintenance of laboratory equipment.
* Perform monitoring and recording of equipment, for example temperature monitoring, and inform a supervisor or manager of any nonconformances.
* Demonstrate an understanding of automated instruments and equipment, with maintenance and problem‑solving being crucial.
About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.
Job responsibilities
Please note: For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Education to GCSE in English and Maths.
* NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
* Completion of a medical laboratory assistant competency portfolio or evidence of laboratory working and competency.
Experience
* Awareness of National Health Service.
* Awareness of the role of Medical Laboratories.
* Awareness of Health and Safety issues.
* Experience of working in clinical laboratories.
* Experience of laboratory techniques and automation.
* Experience of dealing with the public or customer care.
Additional Criteria
* Able to work as part of a team.
* Good verbal and written communication.
* Keyboard and mouse skills (Word, Excel).
* Manual dexterity and hand‑eye coordination.
* Expected to participate in all out of hours periods as required by service provision.
* Ability to handle blood and other bodily fluid samples.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
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