Associate Practitioner

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Axess sexual health laboratory service for an Associate Practitioner/Laboratory Support Technician to join, and provide support with the ongoing quality assurance, training and service provision, across the Axess region.
The successful candidate will be responsible for working to ensure the Axess service wide laboratory standards are maintained, as well as supporting each of the Axess sites with their training and day to day lab support.
It is an exciting time to join the BMS team within Axess, as the service continues to innovate through use of new technologies, and provide support to other NHS organisations., To participate in the activities of the department.
Primarily providing the technical support of the diagnostic service to the wider team and other users, in accordance with departmental protocols and under appropriate supervision.
The Laboratory Support Technician may be required to supervise, organise and allocate work and/or train less experienced staff in their own area.
The Laboratory support technician will participate in shifts, including Saturday work, with some travel around the Cheshire and Mersey area as part of the axess footprint., To gain specialist technical and analytical knowledge by participating in ongoing specialist training and continuous professional development.
To ensure compliance with all local and national standards of work practice
e.g. UKAS , NEQAS scheme and IQA/IQC procedures.
To maintain knowledge necessary to participate in the highly specialised
laboratory sections associated with a teaching hospital, under supervision from experienced Biomedical Scientists.
To have gained the necessary specialist knowledge and skills sufficient to work independently, seeking advice only when deemed necessary.
To participate in Personal Development Plans and Appraisals, as an appraisee.
To attend laboratory methods meetings and be aware of any changes to
methodology.
To maintain knowledge of operational policies and procedures through use of the document management system.
To actively participate in the in-service training programme.
To attend relevant training courses as identified and agreed with senior staff and managers during staff appraisal sessions.
Sorting and distribution of all clinical and environmental samples.
To assess the suitability and appropriateness of samples submitted to the
laboratory and to take remedial action when required.
To process specimens that are used for screening, diagnostic and clinical
management of patients using correct techniques as well as complex, specialised equipment
To apply the level of manual dexterity needed for the processing of pathological specimens using aseptic technique.
To interpret clinical request forms to plan and prioritise workload according to clinical urgency and to liaise with medical staff if required.
To record the investigations indicated on the clinical request forms into the
laboratory computer system.
To analyse clinical samples using appropriate kits and procedures and entering the results of the investigations into the computer system for Biomedical Scientist to release reports for medical staff authorisation.
To ensure the satisfactory completion and validation of automated assays and record the results of control values and the results of the investigations into the computer system.
Preparing and storing of specimens in low temperature storage systems.
Assisting Biomedical Scientists in the setting up of Yeast sensitivities and
bacterial identification systems including visual or automatic interpretation.
To troubleshoot, and carry out routine maintenance on specialist equipment and perform calibration and implement alternative methods in event of failure.
Use of complex, expensive and highly specialised equipment such as the
continuous monitoring, automated detection systems to analyse clinical samples
May be required to supervise, organise and allocate work and/or train less
experienced staff in own area.
Participate in training of new staff in MLA procedures and protocols within the laboratory.
Maintains clinical records in relation to activities carried out. May input/interrogate test results for others.
To participate in MLA duties as and when required.
Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.
We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.
Candidates applying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months' of their 18^th birthday.
The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.
The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.
Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £18+£5 (standard disclosure) or £38+£5 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment.
From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures.
Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation.
All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action.
As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.
If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.
Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
For agenda for change banded roles; salary payments will reflect the 2023/24 pay scales. The 2024/25 pay scales will be paid in October 2024 including any backpay due. Therefore should the successful applicant start in post prior to October, the salary will initially reflect the 2023/24 pay scales.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was created on 1 October 2019 following the merger of two adult acute Trusts, Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust.
The merger provides an opportunity to reconfigure services in a way that provides the best healthcare services to the city and improves the quality of care and health outcomes that patients experience.
The Trust runs Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool University Dental Hospital and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
It serves a core population of around 630,000 people across Merseyside as well as providing a range of highly specialist services to a catchment area of more than two million people in the North West region and beyond.