An Associate Practitioner works as part of the technical team, supervised by experienced Biomedical Scientists and managed by the Laboratory Team Leaders and Operational Head of Department.
Once trained an associate practitioner is required to assist the Biomedical Scientists to supervise and train the lower grade Biomedical Assistant staff.
The post holder will be required to work on sites as appropriate for the delivery of the service and may be asked to work across sites within the trust.
The post holder will be required to support a 24/7 service and shift patterns will cover all hours as required. Staff will work as part of a team of Associate Practitioners and will be rostered unsociable shifts as part of that team.
Works as part of a large team which consists of a mixture of Biomedical Scientists, Associate Practitioners and Biomedical Assistants., To participate in the provision of a comprehensive range of scientific and diagnostic services for bacteriology. The diagnostic work of the bacteriology department includes the appropriate processing and handling of body fluids and materials, including high risk specimens.
The post holder will liaise with line manager as part of a team delivering high quality protocol based technical service under the supervision of HCPC Registered Biomedical Scientist staff. The post holder will be required to communicate with hospital clinicians, general practitioners, other healthcare professionals, patients and their representatives and commercial suppliers.
The post holder will be required to operate sophisticated, automated laboratory equipment and perform scientific techniques under supervision and to report results in accordance with departmental SOPs and as appropriate to grade.
The post holder is required to act as supervisor for support grade staff members as agreed with the laboratory management team, and will be expected to train, support and advise less experienced staff, such as trainees, students and MLAs.
The post holder will be required to manage laboratory stock within the department and provide details of stock management to the Lead BMS or General Manager as required., 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, on a rotational basis 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.
Reception, 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 interpret clinical request forms to plan and prioritise workload according to clinical urgency and to liaise with medical staff if required.
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.
For a full list of duties, please refer to the attached job description
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.
Posts advertised to 'internal staff' are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.
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 £23 (standard disclosure) or £43 (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. DBS applications submitted from 2nd December will be subject to the new DBS fee of £26.50 (standard) and £54.50 (Enhanced).
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.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.
UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.
For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.
Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.
For roles at Liverpool Women's, visit their careers page.