University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) are searching for an experienced and driven Medical Technical Officer to join their highly skilled team.
UCLH is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically-led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas.
The Department:
The NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facility is a well-established Clinical Research Facility covering two sites; a comprehensive Cancer and Medical research facility on the Bloomsbury campus (BC) at Tottenham Court Road, and the Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre is a dedicated neuroscience experimental medicine facility at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) at Queen Square (QS). We undertake clinical research across a wide variety of therapeutic areas including neurology, cancer, vaccine development, gastroenterology, rheumatology, metabolic disorders, and many others.
The Role:
To assist the department to provide a professional clinical trial laboratory service for the benefit of patients, users and staff within the UCLH NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF).
To assist the department in delivering a range of scientific work demanding skilled performance working with some autonomy but within the overall responsibility of the Senior Laboratory Manager, experienced laboratory personnel and the CRF General Manager.
To provide support to the CRF management team by reviewing new laboratory manuals to assess feasibility and laboratory related protocol compliance resulting in high quality clinical data in line with study protocols.
Under the direction of senior laboratory personnel and QA staff, the post holder will be required to help with the creation and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), equipment repair, maintenance and calibration, and be involved with systems and processes related to fridge/freezer alarms, out-of-hours laboratory storage and back-up solutions.
In addition the post holder will be required to have involvement with day-to-day operations and governance of the CRF Laboratory. The post holder will have the skills necessary to contribute towards the provision of an accurate and timely service for patients, and will be expected to acquire technical knowledge including specialised knowledge of complex instruments, processes and tests, and their principles to support the laboratory work that the CRF is involved with.
The post holder will work across CRFs sites based on laboratory support needs, and shift work may be required from time to time depending on needs e.g. 8am to 4pm, 10am to 6pm, 11am to 7pm.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
- Under supervision operate and maintain laboratory equipment according to departmental and manufacturers, protocols and procedures
- Ensure agreed standards for turnaround times of samples are met by supporting other lab staff, including CRF research nurses
- Carry out laboratory investigations and processing of samples collected as part of research studies at the CRF in accordance with study specific protocols.
- Perform technical duties in accordance with departmental and trial specific protocols and procedures, including packing and dispatching samples to external hospitals/vendors/central processing laboratories
- General lab duties including preparatory work e.g. reagents and other solutions as required and organisation and receipt of stock items, consumables etc. ensuring where appropriate that items are entered into the reagent log, and placed at the correct storage temperature. To collect and deliver bottles and specimens etc. as required.
- Undertake specialist training and education in category II containment status for laboratory work (e.g. GM material) such as safe waste disposal and decontamination, enhanced personal protection, increased awareness of contamination issues if required.
- Liaise with other hospital staff as required
- Periods of concentration would be required when performing complex sample processing, including multiple aliquot requirements to ensure the right sample is pipetted into the right numbered tubes.
Requirements:
- 5 GSCE passes at A-C grade including Maths and English
- Foundation degree (in a science subject)
- Have a good knowledge of a range of laboratory procedures.
- Knowledge of Health & Safety.
- Knowledge of Equal Opportunities & Data Protection / Confidentiality
- Experience of working in a laboratory setting
- IT experience including use of databases, MS Word and Excel
- Works well as a team member
- Able to work flexibly
- Reliable and trustworthy
- Ability to be methodical, organised and self-motivated
- Quality and service improvement
- Good time management skills
- Good IT skills, including experience in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook
- Have basic numeracy skills
- Able to exercise judgement when dealing with staff and patients
- Demonstrate ability to meet Trust Values of safety, kindness, teamwork and improving
- Ability to communicate effectively in a polite manner both verbally and in writing
- Ability to use effective communication skills to manage sensitive patient information
- Able to identify own training needs. Displays desire for professional and personal development
- Willingness and ability to participate in continuing education in relation to the role
- Understanding of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Being familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance on infection prevention and control
- Taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care associated infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently. Willingness to work rotational shift pattern where required
- Good hand eye co-ordination for fine use of instrumentation
- Capable of working with hazardous high risk samples and daily exposure to infectious material/ hazardous chemicals
- Capable of repetitive movements when processing/ analysing specimens.
- Capable of long periods sitting at computers inputting data.
- Capable of intense periods of concentration
Our Bank Staff are so valuable to us, so to reward their devotion and hard-work, we offer them the following benefits:
- Access to free Bank Partners Core Skills training.
- Weekly salary.
- Opportunity to work across multiple sites to gain invaluable experience.
- Priority of shifts over all agency workers.
- Competitive pay.
Apply now for this fantastic career-progressing opportunity by uploading your CV, and a member of our recruitment team will be with you shortly.
Bank Partners is an employment agency/employment business (as defined by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003) and is acting on behalf of its client in relation to this vacancy.