Biomedical Scientist POCT

The post holder will act as an experienced state registered Biomedical Scientist to provide a comprehensive POCT service. They will perform routine and specialist procedures and investigations as an aid to the effective diagnosis and management of patients. The work consists of: analysis of biological specimens using scientific methods utilizing various manual and automated techniques and equipment; reporting of results and treatment based on own and others analysis; certification of analytical processes and technical validity of investigations; liaison with medical, scientific, nursing, medical staff and other NHS Trusts and outside agencies.

The post holder will participate in developing a comprehensive POCT training programme ensuring healthcare workers are trained and competency assessed to the UKAS standards. The successful applicant will be expected to work with clinical areas to implement new services., In this role you will be responsible for ensuring that critical devices are maintained such has the blood gas analysers. You will be expected to maintain devices, carry out both simple and advance troubleshooting on devices; you will be responsible for contacting and following the instruction of the manufactories when unable to fix malfunctioning devices. You will also be responsible for organising and working with manufacturer engineers to ensure that devices are fixed in a timely fashion and that services only have minimal downtime.

The successful applicant will be expected to have excellent communication skills and time management skills. You will be required to communicate with variety of people such has doctors, nurses, Biomedical Scientists, Clinical Scientists and engineers. You will also be critical in ensuring that the services provided are compliant with governance in place, you will also be helping to support the department has it work towards obtaining UKAS accreditation.,

• Provide timely and accurate test results using appropriate equipment both automated and manual.


• Routine and specialist Blood Sciences analyses, validation, interpretation and reporting of results


• Maintain complex analytical equipment


• Involved in the supervision, teaching, advising and informing off all grades of staff


• Comply with Standards of Proficiency for State Registration


• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with all aspects of Caldicott


Knowledge and Personal Development

• Build upon the post holders acquired technical and analytical knowledge achieved through specialist training and experience.


• Maintain specialist technical and analytical knowledge by participating in CPD


• Maintain state registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC) by complying with Standards of Proficiency and Conduct.


• Ensure compliance with all local and national standards of work practice e.g. Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA)


• Maintain the knowledge and expertise necessary to perform specialized procedures during rotation through the highly specialized laboratories associated with a teaching hospital


• Maintain the necessary specialist knowledge and skills sufficient to work independently, seeking advice only when deemed necessary.


• Participate in Personnel Development Plans and Appraisals


Communication and Relationships

• Assess the suitability and appropriateness of samples received, liaise with medical staff as necessary.


• Deal sympathetically during liaison with colleagues, other healthcare professionals and staff from external organisations


• Use empathy and understanding to ensure that technical, clinical and linguistic barriers to understanding are overcome.


• Negotiate with service users resolving contentious issues that conflict with laboratory service targets.


• Report and explain results to clinicians, biochemists and other service users


• Provide specialist advice to clinicians and other service users regarding specimen types, investigations required and appropriateness of test and timing of collection of specimen and turnaround times.


• Provide advise and guidance to students, trainees and newly qualified Biomedical Scientists


• Ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of a conflict of priorities relating to concurrent demands placed upon the service


Scientific and Technical

• Use specialist knowledge across a range of procedures, authorize test results integrating and initiating further tests as appropriate. Validates results according to POCT Standard Operating Procedures.


• Take responsibility for finishing, checking, validating and authorizing colleague's work as necessary.


• Check validity and reliability of analytical processes, maintaining and monitoring satisfactory performance by internal quality control and external quality assessment to ensure accuracy and precision of POCT equipment.


• Manipulation of materials and objects such as microscopes and pipettes, for accurate and reliable determination of results.


• Monitors Quality control and reagent logs in ward areas and utilizes resources cost effectively.


• Assists with monitoring and managing POCT Data Management Systems.


• Check and monitor POCT consumables and storage facilities i.e. on ward/departmental areas and laboratory areas.


• Responsible for maintenance, troubleshooting and repair of Point of Care Testing ward based analytical systems, across Trusts and Community practices. Reporting major faults to Trust POCT Manager.


• Participate in flexible working when the service demands i.e to accommodate early morning or late evening staff training sessions.


• Provide support for analytical procedures performed outside of the Pathology Laboratory including training, monitoring, quality management and Health and Safety.


Resources

• Ensure data integrity when entering demographics and results into the laboratory information system using specialized laboratory software.


• Liaise with IT support in resolving any computer system difficulties.


• Make suitable alternative arrangements in the case of equipment malfunction


• Monitor and store consumables, and reagents in appropriate conditions. Audit fridge/freezer temperature in POCT areas.


• Authorise the use of transport for exchanging faulty/checking performance of POCT Equipment, EQA samples distribution and delivering consumables to POCT services across sites.
  
  BSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent


• HCPC state registration


Desirable criteria


• MSc in Biomedical Sciences, Demonstrable Post-Registration experience in a Chemistry or Haematology NHS laboratory


• Experience in validating patient results in Chemistry and/or Haematology, Health and safety awareness, Be able to work to high standards, meeting demanding deadlines


• Dexterous


• Numerate


• IT Literate


• Effective communications skills
  
  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., The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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.