Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Cytology in Ashford

Employer East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site William Harvey Hospital Town Ashford Salary Annex 21 of the relevant band depending on experience. Closing 02/10/2026 08:00

Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Cytology

Band 5 or 6

Job overview

**Please note this vacancy is only open to staff currently working in Kent and Medway Pathology Network (KMPN)**

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Applications from candidates in other NHS trusts will not be considered.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated, focused and enthusiastic HCPC registered Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Cytology to join the team at our Cellular Pathology laboratory. We are seeking a HCPC registered BMS with a BSc in biomedical sciences or equivalent and a successfully completed IBMS specialist portfolio in histopathology, non-gynae cytology. One full-time permanent position is available (see details below), based at William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in Ashford.

Join us to help shape future strategy and services for our local population. Our services offer a range of diagnostic tests, processing over 55,000 requests per annum, and employing over 80 staff. The department has a strong training ethos linked to career development and progression.

This role is for a Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Cytology. Applications will be accepted from Biomedical Scientists with their HCPC registration andif there are insufficient applicants for specialist level, traineeBiomedical Scientists who are at least 50% complete through their portfolio will be considered (pay and AFC band will be according to experience).

Main duties of the job

As a specialist biomedical scientist the post holder will be following standard operating procedures, making and implementing recommendations and changes to support improved or best practice. All changes will be in keeping with the laboratory quality management system. This will include the effective management of laboratory procedural and other records, staffing resources and competency records, maintenance of assets/analysers, resolution of corrective and preventative actions.

The post holder will be required to undertake their responsibilities across any of the sections within the discipline across non-gynae cytology and andrology, including infertility & post vasectomy reporting and authorisation. The post holder will also be required to attend ROSE clinics at other sites. Additional duties may be to support or deputise for either the quality, training, health & safety leads.

We are a UKAS accredited medical laboratory against ISO 15189:2022, that holds an HTA Licence and are an IBMS training laboratory.

The post holder will be expected to complete the IBMS Specialist Diploma in the relevant field in order to progress to band 6; once a minimum of 12 months has passed, and at least 50% of the portfolio is complete. This requires the post holder to have current membership with the IBMS which is not funded by the Trust.See Supporting documentation for band 5 to 6 progression.

Working for our organisation

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Kent and Medway Pathology Network

KMPN is a formal partnership of seven laboratories across three pathology services in four acute Trusts. Our 1000 colleagues provide services across the health and care sector to a population of nearly 2 million.

KMPN are at an exciting point of our network development with a recommendation to form a joint venture across the four Trusts leading transformation. Our projects including single IT solutions, procurement and digital projects, to ensure our services are able to meet growing demand for our service users, patients and communities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KMPN: You will have a fantastic opportunity to grow your career in KMPN. We are developing a network academy, a platform for all network education and training from apprenticeships to advanced clinical and scientific qualifications with a single faculty making best use of our talented educators and trainers. You will not be expected to work at sites outside of EKHUFT. However, there will be opportunities for collaborative working within the network.

Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in 'supporting documents’.

If you have further queries please don’t hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for Biomedical Scientist roles Band 6 and above.

Person specification

Qualifications and training

• HCPC Registration as a BMS with significant post registration experience.
• Institute of Biomedical Science accredited BSc (Hons) degree or equivalent.
• ABA/ESHRE certificate in Semen analysis or equivalent.

Clinical skills and experience

• Advanced computer literacy skills.
• Ability to be adaptable and multi-skilled.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise and manage own workload.
• Attention to detail, quality of presentation and accuracy.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate with individuals at all levels including patients.
• Team Player but also able to work on own initiative.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Ability to complete Trust paperwork (Logs/CAPA/Datix accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Empathetic approach especially when speaking to patients.
• Able to pass on ideas to manager on improvement of services.
• Able to report problems as they arise and to suggest ways to solve them if possible.
• Extensive experience at Band 5 level or above within a diagnostic, ISO accredited, laboratory as a Biomedical Scientist in Cellular Pathology.
• Experienced in Non-Gynae preparation.
• Experienced in ROSE clinics.
• Experienced in diagnostic andrology.
• Experience of acting or deputising for Health and Safety Supervisor.
• European computer driving licence (ECDL).

Personal/professional attributes

• Knowledge of the NHS/Public Sector would be an advantage Knowledge of medical terminology.
• Good knowledge of different types of samples received in the department and specimen acceptance criteria.
• Good understanding of UKAS ISO: 15189:2022 accreditation standards in relation to designated section.
• Good understanding of Health and Safety requirements and risk assessments.

Other requirements

• To be aware of and adhere to the Trust’s Vision, Mission and Values.

There are lots of great opportunities at East Kent Hospitals, where staff are caring and put patients first, innovation flore...
there’s never been a better time to join us. To find out more about east Kent visit our website . The Trust fully supports the SAS Doctors Charter and is committed to their development through its CPD Framework.

We have a relocation policy for eligible candidates, parking available at Trust sites but we encourage other options, like car sharing or public transport.

The Trust is committed to supporting flexible working to fulfil our pledge as part of The Trust’s People Strategy to help staff to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Please speak with your Recruiting Manager for further information on how this can be managed alongside department expectations and requirements.

The ability to converse easily and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for all customer facing roles.

Most positions require a Disclosure and Barring check and will be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Posts working regularly or unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults require an enhanced check.

Applicants for eligible roles requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship must meet UK Visas and Immigration eligibility criteria.

We operate a no-smoking policy on all our sites and grounds.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.