Medical Laboratory Assistant - Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy (Clinical Immunology Services) - 46187

Position Details

Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy (Clinical Immunology Service) 

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK 

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £19,068 to £19,680, with potential progression once in post to £22,706 

Band 300 

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 29th August 2022

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.   

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.  We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success. 

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.  With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University. 

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.  We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work. 

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.  In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries. 

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.  On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens. 

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham  

The Institute of Immunology and  Immunotherapy includes a comprehensive CPA accredited Clinical Immunology Service (CIS), which serves the UHB NHS Trust and other Trusts within the West Midlands.  The service also provides a nationwide service for investigation of patients with leukaemia, lymphoma or myelomatosis.  The post exists to support these activities. The post holder is involved in maintaining basic laboratory, specimen reception and office duties involved with the running of the CIS, under the supervision of Biomedical and/or Clinical Scientists. 

Main Duties

• Routine receipt, unpacking, identification, separation and unique specimen number allocation to clinical diagnostic, clinical trial and research samples received for immunological investigation ensuring any samples that are time critical are processed immediately to comply with current CIS Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). 20%

• Once competency documentation has been completed, print worksheets, locate samples and load machines, e.g. Dynex Agility, Quantalyser, ASD52, viscometer, Sebia capillarys/hydrasys and Cobas c501, in accordance with CIS SOPs, returning specimens to relevant racks once completed.  Prepare and stains cytospins, blood smears and PML slides. 50%

• Filing of worksheets, on a daily basis, and transfer to an electronic storage medium for permanent storage on the departmental server. Worksheets for myeloma related tests are stored for 12 months, all other worksheets discarded. 4%

• Ensure laboratory waste (including biological material, plastics, cardboard, excess reagents, confidential paperwork, etc.) are disposed of in line with University and CIS H&S/waste/confidentiality protocols.  Pack soiled lab coats for laundry and replenish drawers once returned. 2%

• Adhering to COSHH regulations and CIS SOP ensuring adequate stock levels are maintained and chemicals are correctly labelled and stored in line with current EU regulations.2%

• Make up fresh disinfectant, needed in all labs, on a daily basis, swab benches regularly throughout the day and ensure laboratory equipment (centrifuges, water baths, fridges, freezers, analysers, etc) is regularly decontaminated in accordance with CIS SOPs ensuring details are recorded on the relevant maintenance/cleaning log. 2%

• Packing and despatching referral specimens to comply with all Post Office and Health and Safety regulations (UN3373/Category B) and create myeloma trial boxes and starter kits to be sent out to external customers ensuring these are replenished on a daily basis

• Assist with administrative duties in the departmental office i.e. report preparation, filing, maintaining stocks of forms, and send out completed reports and trial kits, where appropriate. 3%

• Take request forms supplied with the specimens and accurately input patient and specimen details into the laboratory information management system (LIMS), currently Telepath from DXC, to comply with current CIS SOP. 5%

• Receipt/checking of deliveries and maintenance of stocks within lab sections, e.g. racked sterile tips, IEF gels, stains, buffers, etc, and notification of section heads when re-ordering required, e.g. autoclave bags, sample racks, etc. 2%

• Provide a regular porter service, for samples, between the laboratory and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital specimen reception and Birmingham Women’s Hospital cytogenetics laboratory 3%

• Assist with training new MLA staff and demonstrating processes/procedures to visitors. 2%

• Provide cover for staff absences in the UoB Covid-19 Turnkey laboratory, as required 2%

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience Required

• The post holder will be expected to have gained a good basic level of general education including GSCE/O Level Mathematics, English and Science.

• Due to the nature of the work the post holder will be expected to have good communication skills and to treat all work as strictly confidential.

• As the department deals with clinical/nursing/laboratory staff on complicated/sensitive issues the post holder will be expected to be courteous and patient at all times.

• Daily management/Ability to accept direction and follow instruction regarding work to be done in section.  Able to recognise problems and report to section head when unable to resolve the issue.

• Provide advice, guidance and general work related discussions using good communication skills.

• Telephone enquiries/Good, polite telephone manner.  Ability to recognise and adhere to limits of capability.

• The post holder will be expected to understand and conform to all current health and safety regulation.

• They will be required to attend in house training courses including I.T. and H&S training.

• Previous experience in a similar role is desirable, but not essential as full training will be provided.

Informal enquireies to Mr T Plant, email:  [email protected] 
 

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment 

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.