Job overview
The Royal Marsden has a vital role in championing change and improvement in cancer care through research, innovation, education, and leading-edge practice. We are proud of our international reputation for pushing boundaries and ensuring patients receive the very best and latest in cancer treatment and care.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Private Patient Sample Pathway Coordinator to join our Clinical Genomics team based at the Centre for Molecular Pathology in Sutton — a state-of-the-art facility at the forefront of molecular diagnostics and cancer genomics.
In this key role, you will coordinate and oversee the private patient sample pathway, ensuring timely and accurate processing, tracking, and reporting of specimens. You will act as the main point of contact for pathway queries, liaising with clinical teams, laboratories, and the Private Care and finance departments to maintain the highest standards of service, data accuracy, and patient experience.
We are seeking a highly organised and proactive individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You will have a degree in a relevant scientific or healthcare discipline (e.g. Biomedical Science, Genetics, Healthcare Science) or equivalent experience, with strong IT and data management skills.
Main duties of the job
The Private Patient Sample Pathway Coordinator will play a key role in supporting the delivery of safe, effective, and efficient patient care by ensuring that all elements of the private patient sample pathway are proactively managed. The role involves responsibility for administrative, data management, and operational tasks relating to specimen reception, processing, reporting and return to support the smooth running of services and to optimise sample flow.
The post holder will be responsible for coordinating sample pathways to meet national and local performance targets, supporting service users and staff with accurate information, and ensuring robust systems are in place to prevent delays. They will act as the main point of contact for sample pathway queries, escalating issues appropriately.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
2.1 Sample Pathway Coordination
• Oversee the end-to-end pathway for private patient samples, including receipt, registration, tracking, reporting, and return.
• Ensure specimens are correctly labelled, booked in, and processed according to Trust SOPs.
• Monitor sample progress using Patient Administration Systems (PAS/EPR) and laboratory information systems, resolving bottlenecks and escalating issues as needed.
• Liaise with laboratory sections, clinical teams, and external providers to ensure timely progression and reporting.
• Support compliance with national turnaround standards and private contractual obligations.
• Monitor Patient Tracking Lists (PTLs), validating data regularly to ensure accuracy and to identify potential breaches.
• Act as the first point of escalation for pathway issues, taking appropriate action or referring to senior staff as required.
Person specification
Qualifications/Educations
Essential criteria
1. Good general education to A-level or equivalent
2. Evidence of ongoing professional and personal development
3. Degree in a relevant scientific or healthcare discipline (e.g., Biomedical Science, Genetics, Healthcare Science) or equivalent specialist experience
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
Essential criteria
4. In-depth knowledge of laboratory processes, sample management, and clinical governance, gained through degree-level study or equivalent specialist experience
5. Strong IT skills including Excel and Laboratory Information Systems/EPR
6. Knowledge of information governance, confidentiality, and GDPR
Desirable criteria
7. Previous experience in Private Patient services
8. Supervisory or mentoring experience
The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.
Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.
Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff
At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.
The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.
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