Main area CIC Microbiology Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (When fully trained participation in weekend and Bank holiday rota) Job ref 262-A-25-7289709
Employer North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Cumberland Infirmary Town Carlisle Salary £24,465 - £26,598 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 07/08/2025 23:59
Medical Lab Assistant
NHS AfC: Band 3
Job overview
Band 2 (or Band 3) Medical Lab Assistant (Higher) Microbiology - Please read Job Description
Band 3 applicants will be considered if they meet the Essential Qualifications in the Person Specification and if they demonstrate experience of working in a diagnostic Microbiology laboratory .
Candidates who cannot demonstrate experience of working in a Microbiology department will be appointed to a band 3 position on annex 21 (75%). On completion of departmental training logs and competency assessments the successful candidate will automatically progress to the band 3 (Higher) position.
Hours of work:
37.5 hours per week. Laboratory is open Monday - Sunday.
Based at the Cumberland Infirmary, Pathology Department.
Applications are invited for this post within Infection Sciences. The Virology, Immunology and Microbiology departments that make up Infection Sciences are well equipped and are all ISO 15189 accredited. We use a range of automated testing platforms including IRIS urine analyser, Dynex DS2, Cepheid and BacTec Blood Culture. The laboratory uses Telepath LIMS with ICE electronic requesting and reporting, and Q-Pulse quality management system.
Main duties of the job
Support biomedical scientists in a range of laboratory duties including the processing of clinical specimens for testing, registration of patients onto the pathology computer system, specimen reception duties, telephone enquiries and general housekeeping duties.
After training has been completed you would be expected to participate in a rota for weekend and Bank holiday working. You should be able to demonstrate good planning, organisational and interpersonal skills as well as evidence of competence in problem solving and prioritising workloads. Excellent communication skills are essential for this post.
Working for our organisation
At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria.The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.
Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of ‘safe, high quality care every time’:
· Being a clinically led organisation
· Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust
· A positive patient experience every time
· A great place to work
· Managing our money well
As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.
Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.
Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment.Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.
If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.
Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies .
· Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.
· If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.
Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.
For candidates applying using a Hotmail account or have strict firewall settings please ensure the following:
* Junk Mail is checked regularly
Disclosure and Barring Service:
On 28 November 2020, the new Disclosure and Barring Service filtering rules will come into effect.
The changes mean that:
* youth cautions, reprimands and final warnings will no longer be subject to automatic disclosure
* the multiple conviction rule has been removed, meaning that if an individual has more than one conviction, regardless of offence type or time passed, each conviction will be considered against the remaining rules individually, rather than being automatically disclosed.
If you are unsure about whether you need to disclose certain criminal record information, free confidential advice may be sought from one of the charity bodies listed below. These bodies can advise you on what you are legally required to declare and may also be able to advise you on how you can disclose criminal record information to a prospective employer and your legal rights when doing so.
Unlock – Tel: 01634 247350, email advice@unlock.org.uk or complete the online form on the Unlock website
Please note the cost of the DBS check is increasing from 2 nd December and the new cost will be
Standard DBS check £21.50, Enhanced DBS check £49.50 + any admin costs.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children therefore if the post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended) the successful candidate(s) will be subject to a criminal records check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:
Standard Check: £18 + Administration cost of £3.85 = £21.85. Deducted at £6.85 from 1st month salary and £5 deducted from salary over following 3 months.
Enhanced Check: £38 + administration cost of £3.90 = £41.90. Deducted at £11.90 from 1st month salary and £10 deducted from salary over following 3 months.
As part of the one of the largest employers in the UK NCIC future employees will have also access to the following benefits.
A lease car may be available for this position; further details will be provided upon appointment if applicable.
27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
Access to NHS discounts with retailers and leisure companies
EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems
These schemes are subject to availability
Person specification
Qualifications
* NVQ 3 in clinical laboratory support or equivalent. ( Examples of equivalence, 2 A levels, Completion of laboratory based competence training manual, IBMS Certificate of Achievement Part 1)
Knowledge and Experience
* Computer Use
* Data Entry
* Equality Issues
* Working in a laboratory environment understanding procedures and practices requiring a base level of theoretical knowledge
* Microsoft office
* Medical terminology
Skills and Aptitude
* Able to use initiative appropriately
* Good communication and interpersonal skills
* Able to prioritise work to meet deadlines in a busy environment
* Able to work as part of a team.
* Good hand-eye coordination.
* Ability to maintain high standards of work
* Ability to follow laid down procedures and guidelines
* use of IT systems
Other requirements
* Flexible approach to working patterns
* Willing to undertake training and development
Employer certification / accreditation badges
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Name Kevin Bertram Job title Infection Sciences Operational Manager Email address kevin.bertram@ncic.nhs.uk Telephone number 01228 814333 Additional information
Emma McKerr - Microbiology Team Leader emma.mckerr@ncic.nhs.uk
Christine Johnston - Healthcare Scientist Associate Practitioner christine.johnston@ncic.nhs.uk
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