Associate Healthcare Practitioner, Band 4 Pre-Analytical

at  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are looking for an enthusiastic person to join our team as an Associate Healthcare Practitioner, to assist/deputise for the departments management team in providing a quality service in a busy laboratory. The Pre Analytical Area is the central hub over two sites for all samples arriving into Pathology, making it the first point of contact and an important part of the patient pathway.
The post holder will help organise training, mentoring and induction of new staff. Conduct IPR’s, use e-roster to update annual leave, sick leave and overtime. Undertake audits and fully embrace the quality management system including error logs. Demonstrate team leadership, supporting and developing colleagues. Deputising for the Band 6 and Band 7 management team. Liaise with other Pathology departments to deliver continual improvement and a high standard of quality.
As part of the departments commitment to provide support to the whole team, the post holder will be expected to work late shifts on a rotation basis until 21:00.
Post holder will be expected to work across GRH and CGH sites.
Post holder is expected to have appropriate MLA experience or equivalent and/or hold level 3 NVQ in clinical laboratory support or IBMS certificate of achievement level 1 or 2.
The post holder will be able to show an excellent knowledge of laboratory tests and a working knowledge of TCLE.
In addition, to the contracted hours, the post holder will be required to take part in a weekend and Bank Holiday rota and may be required to change working hours as required by service need and demand.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest employer in the county and with over 8,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. We offer a generous annual leave allowance, excellent bank rates, access to the excellent NHS Pension Scheme, discounts for local shops, restaurants and services, access to our health and well-being hub, access to our two on-site nurseries, flexible working options, discounted public transport, reward and recognition schemes, exercise and activity classes and membership to our popular hospital choir.
This department provides a start to a journey for all pathology specimens and is an important integral cog especially for blood sciences and microbiology. We are a busy friendly team working in a fluid environment across two sites. The days go quickly and there is always something to do! Being part of team leadership you will be able to help provide a well-trained and quality service to Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation NHS trust and to the Gloucestershire community as a whole.

Management

• To undertake management of issues relating to MLA’s who work in the PAN Area (Gloucester and Cheltenham) to ensure the department operates in an efficient, fair and effective way.
• Workforce planning – signing off annual leave requests on e-roster with regard for the minimum staffing numbers required to provide an adequate service. Recording sick leave on e-roster.
• To ensure annual leave, sick leave and overtime etc. for PAN staff are managed on a day to day basis.
• To foster good cross county communications in order to create an efficient well motivated and integrated group of staff.
• To review the work flow through PAN areas optimising all resources to ensure an accurate timely service.
• Investigate errors and report, including the DATIXWEB reporting system.
• Ensure the Andrology room is tidy and prepared in advance of the next patient. This requires empathy and sensitivity to the patients’ needs.
• Ensure requirements to maintain health and safety standards are ongoing.
• To be trained and competent at performing audits, be able to review their findings, log non-conformances on Q Pulse and act and investigate on any non-conformances.
• Record and investigate error’s on Q Pulse.
• Ensure all staff are appropriately trained and follow health and safety rules within all work areas.

Human Resources Role

• To be the first level supervisor to Medical Laboratory Assistants staff, allocating duties, creating week day and weekend rota’s.
• To act as a mentor for new staff members.
• Participate in and perform staff appraisals, assist in setting objectives and personal development plans.
• To assist Pre-Analytical Area Manager/Deputy in the design, delivery and evaluation of training and re-training of staff in the PAN area, to ensure a high quality of work (to include BMS and trainees from other departments as appropriate). Act as a signatory for competency documentation.
• Undertake back to work sick leave interviews.

Technical Role

• To receive and unpack a range of samples types.
• To check that the correct sample type has been received, correct sample labelling and suitability for diagnostic investigations, in accordance with Pathology laboratory policies and standard operating procedures (SOP); to take appropriate action for non-compliances.
• To recognise, prioritise and fast-track urgent samples to ensure minimal delay to patient treatment and waiting times.
• To prepare samples for analysis includes barcode labelling, centrifugation and aliquoting.
• To prepare samples for dispatch to other sites in accordance with postal and all health and safety regulation, including samples requiring special transport conditions. To liaise with portering services, hospital staff and drivers to arrange appropriate transportation.
• Follow a range of protocols for patients entered into different clinical trials and studies. Liaising with trials team to ensure correct sample handling and dispatch.
• To input test requests, including tests, patient demographics, requesting clinician and location for report onto the LiMS system TCLE in a timely fashion in order to maintain efficient workflow and laboratory turnaround times and taking into account the urgency of the request.
• To perform or monitor regular maintenance of equipment, weekly/monthly maintenance and to keep accurate maintenance records.
• To perform or monitor decontamination procedures on centrifuges, fridges and other equipment.
• To monitor stock levels of laboratory consumables and reagents, rotating stock, replacing low levels and notifying appropriate staff of items that require re-ordering or are past their expiry dates.
• To organise repairs as necessary.
• To ensure the safe use of equipment used in Pan and ensure routine maintenance is undertaken and records maintained.
• Use of Q Pulse as part of quality process, updating SOP’s, record audits and NCR’s.

Information Technology Role

• To enter demographic, clinical and test data into dedicated software applications accurately and efficiently.
• To ensure strict adherence to trust protocols for searching, registering and altering the patient database to preserve the integrity of the database, using the national spine record, TCLE.
• To have a comprehensive knowledge of Trust and PCT clinicians and location and their associated computer codes.
• As commensurate with the access level perform task on laboratory computer system to investigating requesting/reporting problems
• To contribute to the performance of all routine ‘housekeeping’ tasks on the laboratory computer system.
• To notify senior staff and Track team when TCLE computer system needs updating e.g. new clinicians and report locations, change in telephone numbers.
• To be able to interpret and transfer handwritten clinical information accurately into the clinical details field, in the TCLE LiMS.
• To code and enter accurately tests for Chemical Pathology, Haematology and Immunology.
• To apply knowledge of the laboratory computer system to find results and answer enquiries.
• Liaise with the TCLE/CITS team with identifying any errors with ICE, SCM and TCLE in a timely manner to ensure continuous operation of the system.
• Use Microsoft office to produce standard operating procedures etc.
• Handle appropriately confidential information within GDPR regulations and the trust values.

Miscellaneous

• To help maintain a safe working environment and comply with safety policy.
• To obtain and submit all relevant data; clinical, sample type, collection time, relevant test results, separation and storage prior to dispatch of samples.
• Ensure all staff involved in sending samples to referred laboratories have been fully trained and are aware of Post Office Regulations, courier arrangements etc.
• To help investigate and contribute to responses associated with complaints and clinical governance.
• To comply with Trust no smoking policy.
• To undertake appropriate training and mandatory e-Learning.
• To maintain Quality Standards and monitor quality performance.
• Fully embrace quality process and all its requirements.
• To review established Standard Operating Procedures and notify senior staff of required changes where appropriate.

Physical Effort and Working Conditions

• Pressures and stresses of managing a group of staff – ensuring a high daily workload is processed accurately and efficiently.
• Emotional effort/stress in dealing with staff personal issues and problems.
• Pressure associated with maintaining appropriate staffing levels and one’s own commitment to a variety of duties.
• Daily exposure to infectious blood and body fluids, faeces etc. with unpleasant smells/odours together with the risk associated in handling hazardous chemicals.
• Working in hot conditions with protective clothing, coats, gloves and goggles.
• Make repetitive movements.
• Regular amounts of lifting and bending
• Long periods of standing.
• Long periods of working at a VDU.

Please see the attached job description for more informatio

Human Resources Role

• To be the first level supervisor to Medical Laboratory Assistants staff, allocating duties, creating week day and weekend rota’s.
• To act as a mentor for new staff members.
• Participate in and perform staff appraisals, assist in setting objectives and personal development plans.
• To assist Pre-Analytical Area Manager/Deputy in the design, delivery and evaluation of training and re-training of staff in the PAN area, to ensure a high quality of work (to include BMS and trainees from other departments as appropriate). Act as a signatory for competency documentation.
• Undertake back to work sick leave interviews

Technical Role

• To receive and unpack a range of samples types.
• To check that the correct sample type has been received, correct sample labelling and suitability for diagnostic investigations, in accordance with Pathology laboratory policies and standard operating procedures (SOP); to take appropriate action for non-compliances.
• To recognise, prioritise and fast-track urgent samples to ensure minimal delay to patient treatment and waiting times.
• To prepare samples for analysis includes barcode labelling, centrifugation and aliquoting.
• To prepare samples for dispatch to other sites in accordance with postal and all health and safety regulation, including samples requiring special transport conditions. To liaise with portering services, hospital staff and drivers to arrange appropriate transportation.
• Follow a range of protocols for patients entered into different clinical trials and studies. Liaising with trials team to ensure correct sample handling and dispatch.
• To input test requests, including tests, patient demographics, requesting clinician and location for report onto the LiMS system TCLE in a timely fashion in order to maintain efficient workflow and laboratory turnaround times and taking into account the urgency of the request.
• To perform or monitor regular maintenance of equipment, weekly/monthly maintenance and to keep accurate maintenance records.
• To perform or monitor decontamination procedures on centrifuges, fridges and other equipment.
• To monitor stock levels of laboratory consumables and reagents, rotating stock, replacing low levels and notifying appropriate staff of items that require re-ordering or are past their expiry dates.
• To organise repairs as necessary.
• To ensure the safe use of equipment used in Pan and ensure routine maintenance is undertaken and records maintained.
• Use of Q Pulse as part of quality process, updating SOP’s, record audits and NCR’s

Information Technology Role

• To enter demographic, clinical and test data into dedicated software applications accurately and efficiently.
• To ensure strict adherence to trust protocols for searching, registering and altering the patient database to preserve the integrity of the database, using the national spine record, TCLE.
• To have a comprehensive knowledge of Trust and PCT clinicians and location and their associated computer codes.
• As commensurate with the access level perform task on laboratory computer system to investigating requesting/reporting problems
• To contribute to the performance of all routine ‘housekeeping’ tasks on the laboratory computer system.
• To notify senior staff and Track team when TCLE computer system needs updating e.g. new clinicians and report locations, change in telephone numbers.
• To be able to interpret and transfer handwritten clinical information accurately into the clinical details field, in the TCLE LiMS.
• To code and enter accurately tests for Chemical Pathology, Haematology and Immunology.
• To apply knowledge of the laboratory computer system to find results and answer enquiries.
• Liaise with the TCLE/CITS team with identifying any errors with ICE, SCM and TCLE in a timely manner to ensure continuous operation of the system.
• Use Microsoft office to produce standard operating procedures etc.
• Handle appropriately confidential information within GDPR regulations and the trust values