Advanced Practitioner BMS – Blood Transfusion in Taunton

Employer: Integrated Pathology Partnership Limited.

Site: Southwest Pathology Services, Town Taunton.

Salary: £57,528 to £67,750 per annum (dependent on experience).

Closing date: 29/06/2026 23:59.

We are looking for top talent to join the UK’s leading and fastest growing pathology company – a scientific organisation with a clinical purpose.

Job overview:

Are you a proactive Blood Transfusion professional committed to patient safety? Do you thrive on leading change and driving improvement? We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and innovative Advanced Practitioner Biomedical Scientist in Blood Transfusion to lead excellence, governance, and continuous improvement across our Essential Service Laboratories at Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital.

Our mission is to improve health and wellbeing through science, innovation, and high-quality diagnostics. If this aligns with your values and you bring extensive transfusion expertise, this role could be a great fit.

Southwest Pathology Services (SPS) is seeking an Advanced Practitioner to join our Blood Transfusion team. Salary ranges from £57,528 to £64,750 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience, with a potential £10,000 welcome bonus subject to agreement.

SYNLAB UK & Ireland has a strong track record of working in partnership with the NHS to enhance pathology services through successful joint ventures, including SPS. For over 10 years, SPS has supported healthcare improvement across Somerset. We hold ISO15189 UKAS accreditation and are an HCPC-approved laboratory for IBMS Registration and Specialist Portfolio training.

We offer a comprehensive training budget to support career development, providing the resources and opportunities needed for professional growth.

Main duties of the job:

The Blood Transfusion Advanced Practitioner is integral to delivering high-quality services to clinicians and patients, ensuring they meet evolving service needs. Using expertise in transfusion theory and practice, you will provide both strategic and operational leadership, ensuring full compliance with regulatory standards, including MHRA and ISO15189.

You will be HCPC registered, hold a Specialist Diploma in Blood Transfusion (or equivalent) and an MSc in Blood Transfusion.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing expert leadership for the technical advancement of Blood Transfusion service in conjunction with the clinical lead of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
• Providing professional leadership to Team Managers, Biomedical Scientists and Pathology Support staff across Blood Sciences (Haematology, Clinical Chemistry and Blood Transfusion) within both Essential Service Laboratories.
• Ensuring high-quality analysis, service standards and achievement of key performance indicators.
• Providing expert technical and operational leadership to the laboratory service.
• Overseeing specialist training for Biomedical Scientists and other professionals, and offering expert advice.
• Responsible for policies, risk management, quality management procedures and monitoring within Blood Transfusion department.

Working for our organisation:

Formed in 2012, Southwest Pathology Services (SPS) is a joint venture between SYNLAB UK & Ireland and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. It serves a population of around 500,000 supporting the Trust and 70 GP practices and delivers more than 10 million tests each year. The department is an IBMS-accredited training laboratory with full UKAS accreditation.

A well-established central ‘Hub’ laboratory is based in Taunton, supported by Essential Service Laboratories at Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital to provide urgent testing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SPS promotes continuous professional development through regular seminars, and as part of HCPC registration, staff are expected to maintain an up-to-date CPD portfolio. A training budget supports attendance at local and national congresses, seminars and symposiums.

All staff appointed under SYNLAB Hospital terms and conditions will be subject to a 6-month probationary period and may be eligible for a £10,000 welcome bonus.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

Demonstrate senior leadership and deliver operational and strategic responsibilities across the following areas:

Local Responsibilities:

• Lead workforce development through training, competency assessment, and appraisal processes aligned to service and organisational priorities.
• Provide strategic leadership in quality assurance, embedding a culture of continuous improvement, safety, and compliance.
• Develop and implement policies and support service transformation initiatives in line with strategic objectives.
• Establish and utilise exception reporting systems to inform risk management and drive performance improvement.
• Oversee informatics systems, ensuring effective integration, connectivity, and alignment with digital strategy.

Corporate Responsibilities:

• Provide senior management cover to ensure continuity of leadership and delivery of organisational objectives.
• Chair key operational and governance meetings, ensuring clear accountability and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Contribute to trust-wide, regional, and transfusion committees, influencing policy, practice, and service development.
• Support participation in senior on-call rotas to maintain service resilience.
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams across ESL sites, ensuring delivery of high-quality services that meet KPIs, regulatory standards, and patient needs.
• Maintain HCPC registration and act as a professional role model.
• Provide expert clinical and scientific advice to support effective test utilisation and patient pathways.
• Ensure compliance with ISO15189, MHRA, HTA, and organisational governance requirements.
• Lead the development and governance of SOPs, ensuring standardisation and best practice.
• Drive the implementation of new technologies and service improvements, delivering measurable benefits in quality and efficiency.
• Oversee Quality Assurance programmes, using data to manage performance, risk, and continuous improvement.
• Maintain robust Quality Management Systems to support compliance and assurance.
• Communicate complex information clearly to support decision‑making at all levels.
• Develop and deliver audit programmes aligned to risk and organisational priorities.
• Optimise the use of LIMS, Q‑Pulse, and digital systems to enhance reporting, safety, and efficiency.
• Lead workforce planning, training, and performance management to ensure a skilled and sustainable service.
• Maintain personal CPD and support staff development and succession planning.
• Lead incident investigation and CAPA processes, ensuring root cause analysis drives sustainable improvement.
• Embed risk management processes and ensure safe, compliant equipment use.
• Ensure compliance with mandatory training and manage resources effectively, including consumables.
• Support clinical trials and contribute to innovation and service development.

Other Responsibilities:

• Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion, fostering a positive and inclusive culture.
• Role model organisational values and behaviours.
• Communicate effectively and professionally across all settings.
• Undertake additional duties as required to support service delivery.
• Maintain ongoing professional competence and complete all required training.

Safety Responsibilities:

• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Lead incident reporting and investigation, ensuring learning is embedded.
• Support risk assessment processes and ensure safe operation of equipment in line with SOPs.

Person specification:

Qualifications:

• HCPC State Registration as a Biomedical Scientist, with evidence of Continued Professional Development.
• MSc/FIBMS by examination, and is currently in possession of Fellowship of the IBMS (Blood Sciences, Haematology or Transfusion Science); or demonstrates equivalent experience.
• IBMS Higher Specialist Diploma if applicable or an additional Masters level qualification.
• Management qualification to ILM level 3 or relevant experience.
• IBMS membership.

Experience:

• Significant demonstrable broad based experience as a specialist BMS.
• High degree of accuracy, numeracy, interpretive skills and good problem‑solving skills.
• Good knowledge and experience of computer Laboratory Information Systems and applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Statistical Packages.
• An advanced understanding of theoretical and practical Biomedical Sciences and technically adept at majority of routine and advanced laboratory procedures.
• Development of special interest and expertise in one or more areas of the laboratory, for example Quality, Health & Safety, Training or IT.

Skills & Knowledge:

• Able to work independently, implements and proposes changes to procedures for own work area.
• Demonstrates a sound understanding of the physiology, pathology, and scientific principles relevant to specialism.
• Demonstrates a high degree of skill and knowledge where interpretation of results can be highly subjective.
• Leadership qualities with experience of coaching, coordinating and supervising a team.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. All applicants are welcome to apply regardless of age, disability, gender, marital status, race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, or sexual orientation. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

For our Permanent workforce we offer a competitive benefits package. All employees are entitled to:

• Contributory pension scheme.
• Generous annual leave entitlement.
• Ground breaking development opportunities.

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. All employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their daily duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.