Working Part time: 22.5 hours per week
An opportunity has arisen for a part-time Band 6 Specialist Biomedical Scientist in the Cellular Pathology Department, which sits within the Diagnostics Division of the Countess of Chester Hospital.
We are looking for a dedicated, experienced, highly motivated and computer literate individual to practice as a specialist registered Biomedical Scientist, working as part of a team to provide a comprehensive Histopathology and Cytopathology service to the Trust.
The successful applicant will hold HCPC registration, demonstrate high professional standards of knowledge and competency and have achieved completion of a relevant IBMS Specialist Portfolio.
This position will contribute to the Biomedical Scientist specimen dissection of category B and C specimens within the department. Experience of specimen dissection is desirable, but full training will be provided.
Excellent communication, organisational and team working skills are essential for this role, along with a keen eye for accuracy and detail.
The post holder will rotate through all key areas of routine Histopathology including specimen reception, specimen handling, tissue processing, tissue embedding, microtomy, cryotomy, specialist staining techniques, Immunocytochemistry and quality assurance.
Other aspects of this role include:
Dissection of category B and C specimens.
Assisting in the trouble shooting of technical issues and equipment downtime to ensure a continuous output of work.
Participation in the training, competency assessment and appraisal of other staff members.
Involvement in the organisation and monitoring of external quality assurance submissions.
Document control (document review and management of change requests).
Involvement in departmental technical audits.
Involvement in the verification and validation of new equipment and methods.
An understanding of quality management systems is desirable.
The Trust’s services are provided from three locations:
- The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.
- Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
- Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.
The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer ‘YES’ to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
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.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
