Workforce Directorate
Human Resources
Recruitment Team
High East, Crichton Hall, Dumfries DG1 4TG
Fax: 01387 244043
Email: dg.recruitment@nhs.net
JOB DESCRIPTION for the following vacancy:
VACANCY REF No:
G142.13
VACANCY (Post Title):
Biomedical Scientist
Galloway Community Hospital, Stranraer
GRADE:
Band 6
SALARY:
£25,528 to £34,189 pro rata
HOURS:
15hpw (with on-call)
Permanent
You will be HPC state registered, with experience in Biochemistry and Haematology and Multidisciplinary trained. Previous experience working out of hours. Further professional development and
CPD encouraged.
The Galloway Community Hospital in Stranraer provides acute services for the west of the region. It
houses an Accident & Emergency Department, Acute Medical ward, Renal Unit, Day Surgery Unit and
Outpatient Departments and provides other services such as a dental service and a physiotherapy
service.
The Day Surgery/Ambulatory Care Unit is run by visiting consultants from Dumfries and provides
services such as general surgery, orthopaedics, ENT, community dental, gynaecology and urology.
The Galloway Community Hospital is a new build hospital that opened in February 2007.
A modern well equipped multidisciplinary new laboratory provides Biochemistry, Haematology and
Blood Transfusion services. Out of hours cover is provided by the laboratory. The IT system is iSoft
linked to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary by wide area network.
Stranraer is in south west Scotland and lies at the head of Loch Ryan, on the north side of the neck of
land that prevents the Rhins of Galloway becoming an island. The town's origins date back nearly 500
years to the building in 1511 of Stranraer Castle, also known as the Castle of St John.
Stranraer also serves as the gateway to the Rhins of Galloway. Roads from here head north to
Leswalt and south past Drummore to the Mull of Galloway, Scotland's most southerly point. To the
west lies Portpatrick, now a beautiful resort complete with harbour. Another link with Portpatrick is
provided by the Southern Uplands Way long distant footpath, which begins there and passes just to
the south of Stranraer itself en route to the North Sea.
For further information or to arrange an informal visit please contact:
John Toher, Head Biomedical Scientist, Area Biochemistry Laboratory on 01387 241 458.
Nick Mitchell, Head Biomedical Scientist, Area Haematology/ Blood Transfusion Laboratory on
01387 241 442.
Closing Date:
Thursday 18 April 2013 at 5.00pm
Dumfries and Galloway NHS
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Criminal Record Check
With effect from 28th February, 2011 posts considered to be within "Regulated Work" with
Children and/or "Regulated Work" with Protected Adults will require membership of the
Disclosure Scotland Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme) as a condition of
employment.
The cost of PVG Scheme membership is £59.00 and may be recovered as a deduction from the
successful candidate’s salary and is applicable to both EEA and Non EEA applicants
It was agreed at the Joint Negotiating Committee on 25th October 2012 that for all employees
who commence with the Board from 1st November 2012 in Band 5 or above (including all
medical, dental and senior managers) will be responsible for the payment of their membership
to the PVG scheme. This is a one off payment of £59. PVG updates will continue to be paid for
by the Board.
Please note:
You do not have to do anything about PVG Membership when submitting your application form
for the post. Candidates selected for appointment will be advised on how to become a PVG
Scheme Member prior to taking up the position.
Further information on the PVG Scheme Membership can be found at the following:http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/pvg
Standard Disclosure Check
For other roles not considered to be within "Regulated Work with Children" and/or "Regulated
Work with Protected Adults", a Standard Disclosure Check may be required and the cost of this
will be met by NHS Dumfries & Galloway.
Applicants who have lived outside the UK within the last five years, if offered a position, in
addition to a Disclosure Scotland Check, will be required to provide a completed police record
check (Certificate of Good Conduct) from the police authority in the country or countries in which
they were resident.
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AfC Ref: PTB004HAEM
1. JOB IDENTIFICATION
Job Title:
BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST (Multi-disciplinary)
Department(s):
The LABORATORY, GCH, STRANRAER
Job Holder Reference:
No of Job Holders:
2. JOB PURPOSE
To assist the Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry departments in providing and
maintaining an efficient service at the Galloway Community Hospital, within agreed policies and
guidelines.
3. ORGANISATIONAL POSITION
See attached sheet
4. SCOPE AND RANGE
The post-holder is involved in multidisciplinary working within the Stranraer laboratory. The work
encompasses, Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry. The post-holder also handles
Microbiology samples in a specimen reception capacity. There is also a small number of seminal
analyses perform.
Workload:
The Stranraer laboratory processes approximately:
18200 Haematology requests per annum.
300 Blood Transfusion requests per annum.
20000 Biochemistry request per annum.
5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
1.
Technical
1.1
To carry out all diagnostic procedures in the laboratory following standard operational
procedures and receiving an appropriate level of supervision.
1.2
To be able to work unsupervised within the laboratory.
1.3
Authorising Haematology and Biochemistry results to a clinical level – which would be acted
upon by Medical staff.
1.4
To ensure that all requests are dealt with as effectively and efficiently as possible.
1.5
To ensure the more abnormal results are shown to more senior technical or medical staff as
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soon as possible and to initiate appropriate follow-up and/or confirmatory investigations.
1.6
To be involved in quality control schemes, preparation of reagents and the maintenance of
laboratory equipment.
1.7
To be able to basic troubleshoot all instruments in the laboratory.
1.8
To provide assistance in the development and evaluation of new diagnostic and technical
procedures.
1.9
Collection of full blood count specimens from children by either heel prick or finger prick.
1.10
To help supervise trainees and other junior staff and to assist in their induction and training.
1.11
To become familiar with the different procedures, requirements and techniques of each
discipline.
1.12
To apply Departmental safety and security procedures.
1.13
To perform all preparatory work required for specimens sent to DGRI.
1.14
Perform Glucose Tolerance tests as requested.
1.15
Participate in Annual Joint Review
1.16
Maintain Mandatory training up to date
2.
General
2.1
The post holder must respect patient confidentiality and the confidentiality of electronically
stored personal data in line with requirements of the Data Protection Act.
2.2
The post holder must be aware of individual responsibilities under the Health and Safety at
Work Act and identify and report any untoward incident/accident or potentially hazardous
environment.
2.3
To meet the needs of the organisation, the post holder may be required to undertake duties at
any location within the Trust.
2.4
To undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the
responsibility of the grade and the needs of the service.
2.5
To participate in the weekend working rota within the laboratory.
3.
Health and Safety
3.1
To take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of the postholder and others affected by
their actions.
3.2
To work in accordance with Trust safe operating procedures and codes of practice.
3.3
To wear the appropriate, designated personal protective equipment.
3.4
To report all accidents, incidents or omissions to your manager.
3.5
To attend training as identified as being appropriate by the Trust.
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3.6
To supervise the adherence to safe working practices of subordinate staff and to report noncompliance in the first instance to the section BMS2 and then BMS3 in either Haematology and
Blood Transfusion or Biochemistry as appropriate.
The above is intended as a guide to the duties of the post and is not an exhaustive list
6. SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
The job involves the following:
Information Management: i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
Isoft APEX laboratory information system. Involves the input of patient data, checking data and
reporting results from the system that is directly acted on by Clinicians in the hospital and
General Practice.
Data innovations Instrument manager software.
Hospital COMPAS system. Used for verifying patient details before entering into the laboratory
information system.
General office software – Word, Excel etc.
Manual record keeping of instrument maintenance, reagents used, temperature-logging etc.
Equipment: i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
Bayer Advia 120 analyser. General running of the instrument, including routine maintenance
and basic trouble-shooting.
Biomerieux COAG-A-MATE coagulation instrument. General running of the instrument,
including routine maintenance and basic trouble-shooting.
Roche Integra 400+ Biochemistry analyser. General running of the instrument, including
routine maintenance and basic trouble-shooting.
IL Gem blood gas Analyser. General running of the instrument, including routine maintenance
and basic trouble-shooting.
Roche e311 immunoassay analyser General running of the instrument, including routine
maintenance and basic trouble-shooting.
Dell personal computers. General use of software.
Centrifuges. General use, maintenance and trouble-shooting.
7. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
The post-holder will be expected to work within the departmental policies and procedures.
i)
Authorising Haematological results to a clinical level – which would be acted upon by Medical
staff. The post-holder will use his/her knowledge of Haematology to make decisions as to when
a set of Haematology results should be authorised to a clinical level or whether they should be
forwarded for blood film review / senior staff review.
ii)
Control the workflow within the laboratory in the absence of a Senior staff member. This will
involve day-to-day decision-making.
iii)
Ensuring turnaround times are met. In all instances the post-holder must ensure turnaround
times are met.
iv)
Stock control of laboratory materials used. It is expected that the post-holder will be involved in
maintaining sufficient stocks both within the laboratory. Decisions as to when stocks are at a
level for re-ordering must be made.
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v)
Maintenance/troubleshooting of the equipment used. Following training this will involve
advanced trouble-shooting.
vi)
Quality control monitoring for the laboratory in reporting any problems to the section manager.
vii)
As a member of the on call team, the post-holder will be expected to use his/her discretion at
all times. Decisions will be made without direct supervision. This involves producing results in
Haematology / Biochemistry and judging whether further investigations should be undertaken
(such as a blood film review). Also working in Blood Transfusion providing suitable blood /
blood products for patients. This includes using his/her discretion with regards to borderline
compatibility results.
viii)
When working in Blood Bank routinely, although strict standard operational procedures are in
place, the processes involved require a high degree of subjectivity and decision taking. The
consequences of these actions will directly affect the patient.
ix)
As requested provide suitable and compatible blood products which will be transfused into a
patient. This work is unsupervised and therefore has high decision element.
x)
Analysing a range of biochemical samples, comparing patient results with known standards
and quality controls to ensure all analysis comply with quality standards before releasing
patient results.
xi)
Using own judgement in prioritising those samples where the clinician requires urgent results,
dealing with quality control failures and troubleshooting technical problems.
8. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
The post-holder will be expected to communicate with:
i)
Medical staff (both Hospital and General Practice). This includes issuing abnormal/urgent
results and if appropriate explaining their significance. It may also be necessary to discuss any
further tests that maybe required. Advice can also be given as to which tests may be most
appropriate in patient investigations.
ii)
Nursing and Midwifery staff. This includes issuing abnormal/urgent results and if appropriate
explaining their significance. The post-holder may also be involved in the training/education of
nursing/midwifery staff.
iii)
Administration staff throughout the departments and hospital. Communication between staff in
other laboratory departments and throughout the hospital in general is essential for the day-today functions within Haematology and Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry.
iv)
Colleagues in other laboratory departments. Good communication is required with colleagues
in the other laboratory departments as incidents / changes in Trust often effect all laboratory
departments.
9. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
Patient data entry / updating in various software packages requires moderate speed and 100%
accuracy at all times. VDU operation accounts for approximately 40% of the working day.
Manual fluid pipetting requires a high degree of accuracy and accounts for approximately 20% of the
working day.
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During out of normal laboratory working hours on call staff members work alone. This frequently
involves working in a busy, stressful situation. Staff are required to produce accurate results in a as
short a time as possible.
There is also an element of lifting medium weight boxes. This can be weekly depending upon
delivery schedules.
10. MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB
Providing and maintaining a high quality laboratory service with an increasing workload.
Frequent requirement for prolonged concentration and accuracy while carrying out
complex investigations.
Frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions while handling samples of infectious
material especially High Risk samples.
Working alone especially out of hours.
11. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB
The post-holder must have a clear understanding of Health and Safety issues in the laboratory.
The post-holder should be or should have attained the following:
i) General




ii)









Registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC).
BSc honours degree in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent.
Should be able to demonstrate continuing professional development.
An accurate and methodical approach to work is required at all times.
Haematology Department
Is required to have a broad basic understanding of Haematology theory.
Is required to be able to perform all practical procedures within the laboratory.
The post-holder will be expected to identify normal and abnormal Haematology results. The
post-holder must decide whether further investigations are required.
Using knowledge and skills attained the post-holder will authorise Haematology results
to a clinical level. This process is unsupervised.
There is a requirement for the individual to be able to determine if abnormal results are due
to physiological changes within the patient or due to artefact (e.g. problems processing the
specimen or problems with the actual specimen itself).
The individual must be able to identify, trouble-shoot and if possible correct any problems with
the full blood count analysers.
When producing blood films the post-holder must ensure that the smear is both of the
correct length and have the correct thickness of blood. This is of great importance when
reviewing the stained film.
The post-holder must acquire a broad knowledge in the area of coagulation and
anticoagulation. This includes identifying abnormal results and recommending further
tests as required. This often involves initiating the tests before discussion with Medical staff.
There is a requirement to identify falsely abnormal coagulation results and to initiate
trouble-shooting. This may involve identifying and remedying faults with the analyser.
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
iii)








iv)


When performing manual coagulation techniques the post-holder must be aware of
all physiological variations that can effect the tests. Often, the testing is performed because the
end point clots formed are too weak for the automated instruments to detect. The post-holder
must be extremely careful when detecting these very weak clots (which is often tiny pieces
of fibrin).
Blood Transfusion Department
Is required to have a broad understanding of Blood Transfusion theory.
Is required to perform all practical procedures within the department. This will involve
more complex procedures.
Is required to work unsupervised in the department.
Interpretation of reaction patterns in the identification of blood groups requires both practical
and theoretical knowledge to achieve the correct result. The post-holder must understand
the factors affecting reactions and must be able to identify situations where false positive and
negative results may be seen.
Interpretation of antibody screens and the identification of specific antibodies that may be
present in patient’s sera incorporates complex and specialised procedures. All Biomedical
staff working in Blood Transfusion are responsible for identifying unknown antibodies.
Biomedical staff working in Blood Transfusion are responsible for producing all
clinically authorised reports.
Compatibility studies are performed in order to provide suitable cross-matched blood for
the patient. Staff working in Blood Transfusion are responsible for all compatibility testing
which involves complex testing of patient’s serum against antibody panels and blood units.
The testing requires strict adherence to standard operational procedures. However, the
staff member must use his/her skill and knowledge when reading the reactions.
The post-holder requires knowledge of different blood products and their use.
Biochemistry Department
Must be competent and fully experienced in performing Biochemical assays in accordance
with current standard operating procedures, the Health and Safety at Work Act and local
Codes of Practice.
Ability to work within tight deadlines.
12. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT
A separate job description will need to be signed off by each jobholder to
whom the job description applies.
Job Holder’s Signature:
Date:
Head of Department Signature:
Date:
Director Signature:
Date:
Dumfries and Galloway NHS
AfC Ref: PTB004HAEM
PERSON SPECIFICATION
POST:
Specialist Biomedical Scientist Band 6 (0.4 WTE)
Dept:
The Laboratory, GCH, Stranraer
Education /
qualifications
Essential
Desirable
State Registration with HPC.
(Previously registered BMS with
MultiDisciplinary on call experience
would be also considered)
Fellowship of IBMS, MSc or
studying for MSc.
Registered on IBMS CPD
scheme
Means of
assessment
AF
BSc in Biomedical Sciences or
equivalent
Skills / Abilities
Good laboratory skills
Good communication skills
Good keyboard skills
Ability to communicate courteously.
Ability to communicate clearly both
verbally and in writing.
Basic understanding of Microsoft
Windows.
Ability to work individually or as part
of a team.
Ability to interpret clinical details and
results and be able to convey
complex and sensitive information to
relevant personnel in a clear and
concise way. Ability to work without
supervision and organise work
appropriately. Ability to work to
departmental policies and
procedures.
Experience
Qualified BMS 1 in Biochemistry.
HPC registered. Experience in a
range of automated and manual
laboratory equipment and techniques.
Experience of working in a
MultiDisciplinary Laboratory.
Previous experience of working on
call.
Knowledge of APEX computer
system.
AF I
AF I
Experience working out of
hours (on Call) in a Multi
Disciplinary Service.
Knowledge
Knowledge/understanding of
confidentiality issues
Good general knowledge of Clinical
Biochemistry. Haematology and
Blood Transfusion
Commitment to CPD.
Data protection.
Awareness of health and safety,
correct handling of high risk
specimens and spillage procedures.
Knowledge of current laboratory
practices, equipment and techniques.
Some knowledge of other
laboratory disciplines
AF I
Disposition
Pleasant disposition and able to work
Flexible and adaptable
AF I
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as part of a team.
Ability to work under pressure and to
tight deadlines.
Ability to work on own initiative.
Good interpersonal skills.
Other
requirements
Signed:
Good attendance and timekeeping
record.
Willingness to participate in out of
hours service and weekends and
extended working day. Capable of
working alone for long periods at
night and at weekends.
Evidence of continued
professional development.
Position:
Means of assessment include application form (AF) and interview (I).