Clinical Scientist Microbiology in Leicester

An opportunity has arisen for an HCPC-registered Clinical Scientist to join our close-knit team in the UHL Department of Clinical Microbiology. In this position, you will have a central role in innovation and service development as we implement high-throughput automation and sequencing-based diagnostics to develop a modern and efficient clinical microbiology service.

This opportunity is especially suited to an individual with experience in next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics for microbial genomics and metagenomics. UHL Clinical Microbiology serves one of the UK's largest teaching hospital trusts and primary care services covering a population of over 1 million people with high levels of ethnic diversity and a wide range of socioeconomic conditions, resulting in a unique and diverse profile of infectious diseases, and consequently a varied and interesting role for our Microbiology Clinical Scientists.

Main duties of the job

• Identify priorities for the improvement of the Clinical Microbiology service through the development, evaluation and validation of innovative diagnostic approaches, with a particular emphasis on molecular diagnostics and microbial genomics.
• Provision and verification of Clinical Microbiology services, particularly those relating to molecular diagnostics, microbial genomics and novel technology.
• Interpretation, authorisation and reporting of the results of microbiological investigations, providing advice where appropriate.
• Participation in research, development and innovation activities, supporting collaborations across UHL, local universities and national innovation networks such as the NHS Respiratory Metagenomics Network.

About us

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030). We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all
• being a great place to work
• partnerships for impact
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate
• we are proud
• we are inclusive
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

Job responsibilities

Key areas of work and result areas are as follows. For full details refer to the job description and person specification.

• In line with departmental priorities and under the guidance of the departmental Clinical Management Team, to identify and implement developments to improve the quality of the service provided, particularly in relation to advances in technology and methodology.
• Assist and lead in the planning, introduction and delivery of new techniques, methods and technologies within the Laboratory, in particular the use of next generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics to lead the translational development of microbial genomics into the diagnostic service.
• Maintain awareness of developments in the field of diagnostic microbiology and advise the medical microbiology and virology staff on developments that may have a bearing on clinical matters.
• Follow ISO standards, be responsible for adhering to the departmental quality management system, including writing and reviewing SOPs, participation in EQA, IQA and audit, maintenance of equipment, monitoring of reagents, etc.
• Undertake specialist diagnostic tests and report the results of these tests, as appropriate to level of knowledge and experience.

Governance and Managerial

• Ensure the service is delivered in accordance with ISO standards through active involvement in the departmental quality management system, including taking responsibility for quality assurance of key service activities (e.g. turn‑around-times, incident reporting, near‑misses) related to specialist molecular diagnostics assays.
• Regularly participate in and contribute to departmental meetings, including, as appropriate, the Virology, Serology and Molecular meeting, Quality Operational Group meeting, Research, Development and Improvement Discussion Group and Clinical Management Team meeting.
• Supervise and mentor staff, students and new appointees as appropriate, including taking responsibility for training Scientist Training Programme (STP) trainees.

Clinical Microbiology Service

• Work with the other Clinical Scientists, technical and medical staff to deliver Clinical Microbiology services under the direction of the Operational and Clinical Department Leads.
• Under consultant supervision and in line with level of experience, take professional responsibility for scrutiny, authorisation and commenting on clinical microbiology reports, including making clinical interpretations and informing clinicians and public health officers of significant infections, including providing advice where appropriate.

Research

• Initiate, identify funding for, directly undertake, manage and/or lead research, development and innovation (RD&I) projects aimed at ultimately improving the clinical service. This may involve collaborative work at the University of Leicester or other academic institutions.
• Ensure all research is undertaken in accordance with good clinical practice for research and following UHL governance processes.
• Communicate the outcomes of RD&I projects both internally at departmental meetings and seminars and more widely by presentation at national or international conferences and meetings and publication in peer‑reviewed journals.

Person Specification

• HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist (or within 6 months of achieving this)
• MSc in Microbiology, Clinical Science or a related discipline
• BSc in a relevant Biological Science
• PhD in a relevant area of research
• Diplomate member of FRCPath (Passed FRCPath part 1 examination)

Experience

• Three years' experience working in a diagnostic or reference microbiology or virology laboratory (by likely date of appointment)
• Evidence of having conducted audits, presented reports and taken appropriate corrective action.
• Experience with computer software especially databases, statistical analysis packages and bioinformatics tools
• Experience of staff supervision and training of various grades of staff.
• An understanding of ISO 15189:2022 quality standards and UKAS accreditation requirements
• Experience of infectious disease epidemiology.
• Experience of hospital and pathology computer systems
• Expertise in bioinformatics tools and relevant programming languages for the analysis of DNA sequence data.
• Experience of completing research grant applications.

Communication and relationship skills

• Evidence of good interpersonal and communication skills and teamwork
• Enthusiasm and drive to take on new scientific, administrative, logistical and service-oriented challenges
• Evidence of providing training for and supervision of junior staff and/or students
• Ability to work on own initiative.
• A record of initiating, directing, coordinating and reporting on R&D activities
• Evidence of participation in national or international scientific meetings/ conferences
• A track record of relevant scientific publications

Analytical and Judgement skills

• Evidence of good decision-making skills.
• To have developed an expertise in one or more specialised analytical or clinical areas.

Planning and organisation skills

• Ability to handle/co‑ordinate several concurrent projects, including prioritisation of work and delegation

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

• Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's Values and Behaviours

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
• All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others.

Other requirements specific to the role

• Flexibility with regard to working hours
• This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.