This position is to work as a Medical Laboratory Assistant in the Haematology & Blood Transfusion Department at Southport & Formby District General and Ormskirk District General Hospitals.
The post holder is required to follow standard operating procedures and follow health & safety guidelines to protect themselves and colleagues at all times. The role involves the handling of blood and body fluids from receipt in the laboratory to their safe storage following analysis. Strict adherence to policy to maintain patient sample identity throughout sample handling is required, and all data must be accurately entered into the Laboratory information System. MLA’s will operate analysers and carry out non-complex tests. They will assist Biomedical Scientists in the course of their duties assigned to Haematology and Transfusion and will rotate through all sections in that discipline and Specimen Reception. Strict patient confidentiality must also be maintained.
The post holder will also attend anticoagulant clinics at the Southport & Ormskirk sites to take finger prick samples from patients.
The role will involve working in a busy laboratory and working alongside Biomedical Scientists to ensure the timely turnaround of results. The department runs a continuous service providing 24-hour coverage to a busy Hospital Trust.
The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.
Checking patient identification details and numbering of samples for analysis.
Making reference on request form to any missing samples.
Returning pods to wards.
Delivering samples to the appropriate department.
Receiving visitors to pathology and informing relevant member of staff.
Receiving deliveries, notifying the correct department at arrival of each delivery.
Assist in the cleaning and disinfecting of work areas and equipment.
Disposal of waste.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
KEY DUTIES
SPECIMAN RECEPTION
Checking patient identification details and numbering of samples for analysis.
Making reference on request form to any missing samples.
Returning pods to wards.
Delivering samples to the appropriate department.
Receiving visitors to pathology and informing relevant member of staff.
Receiving deliveries, notifying the correct department at arrival of each delivery.
Assist in the cleaning and disinfecting of work areas and equipment.
Disposal of waste.
TECHNICAL
To follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
To undertake routine operative maintenance on laboratory instruments, change reagents and log actions.
To prepare reagents required for laboratory investigations.
To report any instance or event to BMS staff which may cause a service delivery failure.
Perform analysis of specified diagnostic tests under indirect qualified supervision.
Filing of completed samples and request forms for storage.
Monitor and record fridge temperatures daily at Whiston Hospital and weekly at St Helens and Fairfield Return unused blood to stock and replace emergency O Neg stock in satellite fridges on both sites as required.
During sample preparation visual examination of samples such as underfilled, haemolysed, lipaemic, must be recorded as directed by departmental SOP’s.
To load, sample and remove samples from main line analysers.
To perform routine quality control on the analysers, reporting any out-of-range results to qualified staff.
To assist in clinical audits, trials and research projects as directed by departmental management.
LABORATORY INFORMATICS
Enter specimen and patient details into the pathology computer according to departmental SOP’s. Check and correct, if necessary, information input by other laboratory staff.
To comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information.
To use the Pathology Computer Systems according to the SOP’s.
To enter their own results and those obtained by others into Telepath.
To maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases.
To use Trust wide I.T. systems as appropriate following trust polices, guidelines and procedures.
To participate in sample receipt and checking previous computer record.
Preparation of outstanding lists from the Laboratory Information System and locating appropriate samples, ensuring correct labelling of samples.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189.
To comply with good laboratory practices required for the standards of UKAS ISO15189 including Health and Safety.
To undertake work file management to ensure that reporting of results are carried out in a timely fashion.
To advise the Senior Biomedical Scientists when stocks of reagents and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.
COMMUNICATION
To telephone patient results to clinical users following appropriate policies and procedures.
To contact service users in case of any problems with received samples.
To communicate any relevant information to laboratory colleagues within the section.
To actively participate in team meetings and to inform effectively at hand over.
