Job summary
HIDDEN
Associate Practitioner, Blood Sciences, Band 4, West Cumberland Hospital hours per week .
Support biomedical scientists in the day to day activities of the laboratory, including performing laboratory tests according to protocol, interpreting routine results and acting accordingly within agreed protocols, supervising and training support staff.
Main duties of the job
Provision of a comprehensive Blood Sciences service to North Cumbria Hospitals and primary care. The departments offer core analyses on a frequent basis, processing urgent requests and a variety of specialised tests. The Blood Sciences service is provided on a 24/7 basis with out of hours cover delivered via shift patterns according to the urgency and volume of the work.
Receive samples into the laboratory, ensuring compliance with minimum acceptance criteria, and dealing with discrepancies where appropriate.
Prepare samples for analysis e.g. specimen handling, centrifugation
Perform daily analyser start-up procedures, including accurate pipetting.
Load and operate general laboratory equipment as required under supervision, following standard operating procedures.
About us
At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding hospital and health services to half a million people. Established on 1st October 2019, the Trust is creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout north Cumbria and beyond. We're responsible for delivering over 70 services across 15 main locations and we employ more than 6,500 members of staff.
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
* 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. There is an expectation for all staff to support this by familiarising yourself with the Trust's sustainability initiatives such as waste and recycling, going paperless, videoconferencing, sustainable transport and others.
We encourage you to think about what you can do as an individual and within your team to contribute in to embedding carbon reduction into the everyday running of our organisation.
Details
Date posted
24 February 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 4
Salary
£27,485 to £30,162 a year Per annum, Agenda for Change Unsocial Hours payments apply
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
262-A
Job locations
West Cumberland Hospital,
Homewood Road,
Whitehaven
CA28 8JG
Job description
Job 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. For further information visit theUK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Disclosure and Barring Service:
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.
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: £ Administration cost of £5.90 = £27.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
Enhanced Check: £ administration cost of £5.90 = £55.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:
27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
Flexible working Scheme
NHS Discounts*
Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*
Excellent opportunities for development*
Competitive NHS Pension scheme
Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems
*Subject to eligibility
Important Information
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.
Job description
Job 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. For further information visit theUK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Disclosure and Barring Service:
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.
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: £ Administration cost of £5.90 = £27.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
Enhanced Check: £ administration cost of £5.90 = £55.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:
27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
Flexible working Scheme
NHS Discounts*
Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*
Excellent opportunities for development*
Competitive NHS Pension scheme
Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems
*Subject to eligibility
Important Information
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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* NVQ 3 in laboratory practice or equivalent.
Desirable
* Foundation degree in laboratory practices, or equivalent.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
* Pathology duties at Band 3
* Supervision and training.
* Technical audit.
* Data entry.
* Underpinning theory of pathology techniques.
* Laboratory health and safety, COSHH, and risk assessment
* Equality issues.
Desirable
* Use of specialist laboratory instruments including microscopes, analysers, sample processors, centrifuges.
Skills and aptitudes
Essential
* Practical laboratory skills e.g. specimen handling and processing, analysis and interpretation.
* Able to use initiative appropriately within a team.
* Ability to analyse work to determine compliance with standards.
* Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
* Good organisational skills.
* Ability to plan work to meet deadlines.
* Good hand/eye coordination.
* Keyboard skills.
Desirable
* Ability to analyse and interpret laboratory results in accordance with protocol.
Personal circumstances
Essential
* Meticulous.
* Motivation
* Enthusiasm
Other requirements
Essential
* Flexibility in working hours.
* Able to work extended hours, weekends or 24 hour shift pattern
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* NVQ 3 in laboratory practice or equivalent.
Desirable
* Foundation degree in laboratory practices, or equivalent.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
* Pathology duties at Band 3
* Supervision and training.
* Technical audit.
* Data entry.
* Underpinning theory of pathology techniques.
* Laboratory health and safety, COSHH, and risk assessment
* Equality issues.
Desirable
* Use of specialist laboratory instruments including microscopes, analysers, sample processors, centrifuges.
Skills and aptitudes
Essential
* Practical laboratory skills e.g. specimen handling and processing, analysis and interpretation.
* Able to use initiative appropriately within a team.
* Ability to analyse work to determine compliance with standards.
* Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
* Good organisational skills.
* Ability to plan work to meet deadlines.
* Good hand/eye coordination.
* Keyboard skills.
Desirable
* Ability to analyse and interpret laboratory results in accordance with protocol.
Personal circumstances
Essential
* Meticulous.
* Motivation
* Enthusiasm
Other requirements
Essential
* Flexibility in working hours.
* Able to work extended hours, weekends or 24 hour shift pattern
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 details
Employer name
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address
West Cumberland Hospital,
Homewood Road,
Whitehaven
CA28 8JG
Employer's website
(Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address
West Cumberland Hospital,
Homewood Road,
Whitehaven
CA28 8JG
Employer's website
(Opens in a new tab)