Medical Laboratory Assistant Apprenticeship

Medical Laboratory Assistant Apprenticeship

NHS AfC: Band 3

Main area Laboratory Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 282-SA1847-NR

Employer The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site The Royal Marsden - Sutton Town Sutton Salary £30,630 - £32,346 pro rata per annum including outer London HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 27/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

Join The Royal Marsden's Cellular Therapy Laboratory as a Medical Laboratory Assistant Apprentice and support the delivery of stem cell transplantation and advanced cellular therapies for cancer patients.

This exciting opportunity combines hands-on experience in a highly specialised laboratory with a Level 3 apprenticeship. Working alongside Biomedical Scientists, you will assist with the preparation, storage and monitoring of stem cell products, support equipment and stock management, carry out environmental monitoring, and help maintain high standards of quality and safety.

The Cellular Therapy Laboratory includes clean rooms, cryogenic storage facilities and specialist laboratories. Working in this regulated environment requires excellent attention to detail, high standards of personal hygiene and strict adherence to aseptic techniques to minimise contamination and protect patient safety. You will also gain experience working with specialist laboratory equipment, blood products and liquid nitrogen storage systems.

We are looking for a motivated individual with an interest in science and healthcare, strong organisational skills and a willingness to learn. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working accurately, following procedures and contributing to a team delivering life-changing treatments.

Full training and development will be provided, offering an excellent foundation for a career in laboratory science and healthcare.

Main duties of the job

Under the supervision of the Head/Deputy Head of the Cellular Therapy Laboratory, you will:

• Work in clean-room environments, following strict aseptic procedures and laboratory standards.
• Perform routine laboratory tasks, including running controls and full blood counts.
• Support stem cell processing and the storage of cryopreserved stem cell products.
• Assist with the maintenance, cleaning and monitoring of laboratories, clean rooms and cryogenic storage facilities.
• Respond to enquiries and support the day-to-day operation of the service.
• Work safely within the scope of the role, seeking advice when required.
• Carry out duties across laboratory, clean-room, storage and office environments, including some physical tasks and regular movement between departments and clinical areas.

Applicants must:

• Be aged 18 or over.
• Have lived in the UK/EEA for the last three years.
• Have the legal right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the apprenticeship.
• Not be undertaking another government-funded training programme.
• Not hold a qualification in the same subject at the same level or above.
• Hold GCSE Maths, English and Science at Grade 4/C or above and be able to provide evidence.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification

2.1To assist with general laboratory portering.

2.2To assist with the routine maintenance, cleaning and use of laboratory equipment.

2.3Perform clean room suite and general laboratory cleaning with biocide reagents and participate in environmental monitoring.

2.4Segregating all laboratory waste into defined categories and disposing appropriately.

Assist in regular stock control of all consumable items, batch control, lot number logging and effective stock rotation and storage

2.1To participate in training and assessment for specified tasks, completing programmes to a satisfactory level of competence.

2.2To participate in the departmental programme of quality improvement and regulatory compliance. This will involve participation in the review and writing of SOPs, assisting with audits and validations and the generation of appropriate documentation.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Numerate and literate (minimum 4 GCSE's, or equivalent, incl. Maths & English & a Science at grade C/4)

Experience

• Experience in a similar role within a healthcare setting or equivalent education with transferable skills.
• Working in a hospital laboratory

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Able to work accurately to specific operating requirements and instructions
• Excellent organisational ability
• Able to work accurately with meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to plan and prioritise own work and know when to seek advice or escal
• Able to clearly relay messages and describe situations
• Understand confidentiality as applies to role
• Ability to accurately perform calculations
• Ability to write clearly, precisely and grammatically
• Very basic understanding of stem cell transplantation
• Demonstrates commitment to undertaking the apprenticeship alongside the role and engaging fully with the required learning and development.
• A desire to work in healthcare
• Understanding of relevant laboratory Health and Safety procedures

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

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