Microbiology Laboratory Technician

Quality Control North West Liverpool is a NHS regional specialist department responsible for providing pharmaceutical quality assurance services to NHS and non-NHS clients. The laboratories are modern and well equipped, and are regulated by the MHRA to Good Manufacturing Practice, and UKAS to ISO17025. We are based in the Pharmacy Practice Unit, close to the Royal Liverpool Hospital., The main duties include entering sample details onto the laboratory information management system, managing laboratory supplies, performing instrument checks, performing microbiological analysis, managing laboratory waste, and maintaining the laboratory in a clean and safe state (complying at all times with Health Safety regulations)., To receive and store laboratory supplies, assisting in the maintenance of suitable stock levels to ensure efficient day to day running of the department.
To enter details of samples sent to the microbiology laboratory into the Laboratory Information System, ensuring a high degree of accuracy in the data entry.
To perform general house-keeping duties and ensure that the laboratory is maintained in a clean and safe state. This will include cleaning of the Microbiology clean-room suite and pharmaceutical isolators.
To prepare deliveries of growth media to customers and to undertake lifting and delivery of heavy laboratory equipment and supplies to other locations within the limits of the post holders capabilities.
To manage the disposal of waste from the Microbiology laboratory.
To assist in the carrying out microbiological analyses of pharmaceutical products.
To carry out, and maintain records of, daily and weekly calibration checks of laboratory instruments and arrange for their service and external calibration.
To be responsible for the safe and efficient use of laboratory equipment and ensure that all practices in relation to testing are performed in accordance with the Laboratory Quality System, thereby ensuring confidence in the data.
To assist in the development of new or improved methods.
To ensure that all work undertaken is correctly and accurately recorded to ensure validity and traceability for audit purposes in line with the laboratory's Quality System.
To undertake any other duties that may be required appropriate to the post holder's grade, experience and competence.
To be aware of personal responsibilities under Health & Safety regulations.
To co-operate with risk assessments and ensure that risks are identified and reported as they arise
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.

We are looking to appoint a highly enthusiastic and motivated individual, educated to 'A level' in a science subject, to join our busy Microbiology reception team that receives more than 250,000 samples per year for testing. The successful candidate will be an important member of the hardworking team and will have an interest in microbiological analysis.

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.