Registered/Specialist Biomedical Scientist

Employer The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Victoria Infirmary Town 317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary Salary £32,073 - £48,117 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 04/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 15/10/2026

Registered/Specialist Biomedical Scientist

Band 5/6

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion.

With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, w e’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country.

As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job overview

Applications are invited from enthusiastic and highly motivated Biomedical Scientists to join our Cellular Pathology team at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

We are seeking a dynamic individual to support our expanding department. Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge and experience within Cellular Pathology, alongside the ability to contribute to staff training, quality assurance and service development. Knowledge and experience of Immunohistochemistry (IHC) would be advantageous.

Applicants who hold the IBMS Specialist Portfolio in Cellular Pathology will be appointed as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist (Band 6). Applicants who are HCPC registered Biomedical Scientists but do not hold the IBMS Specialist Portfolio will be appointed as a Registered Biomedical Scientist (Band 5).

The department provides Histopathology, Cytopathology and Mortuary services housed within a purpose-built facility in a prime city-centre location. We receive a broad range of specimens from within the Trust, General Practitioners and other healthcare providers and, as a specialist referral centre, handle cases regionally, nationally and from overseas. This provides an excellent opportunity to gain experience across a wide range of specimen types and specialised investigations.

Main duties of the job

The laboratory is divided into several specialist sections including Specimen Reception, Slide Production, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Muscle & Nerve, Electron Microscopy, Neuropathology, Cytology, Mohs and our research facility, NovoPath. We also work closely with Genomics services, supporting the increasing complexity of integrated pathology and molecular diagnostics in our role as the regional Cellular Pathology Genomics Centre (CPGC).

The department has established Advanced Practitioner dissection and Consultant Biomedical Scientist reporting roles, reflecting our commitment to developing advanced practice, driving innovation and delivering excellence in patient care.

The laboratory operates Monday to Friday between 7.00am and 6.00pm, and flexibility is encouraged to support both staff and departmental requirements. As a major Transplant Centre, the department also provides an out-of-hours on-call service, participation in which is voluntary.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a progressive and forward-thinking department delivering high-quality diagnostic services and contributing to the future development of pathology services across the region.

Working for our organisation

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trus

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Interview Date Thursday 15 October 2026
• 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week, including participation in Saturday rota (approximately one week in 6)
• To contribute to the provision of an effective Cellular Pathology service for The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, General Practitioners, other Trusts and other users of the service.
• The post holder will work as part of a multidisciplinary team within Cellular Pathology, undertaking a wide range of diagnostic laboratory procedures with an appropriate degree of autonomy and under the guidance of Advanced Biomedical Scientists and Advanced Practitioners where required.
• Duties will include the receipt and registration of specimens, assisting in specimen dissection, preparation of samples for processing, recording information on the laboratory information system, storage of specimens and disposal of residual tissue in accordance with departmental procedures.
• The post holder will undertake a range of technical and scientific procedures including cryotomy for intraoperative consultations (frozen sections), tissue processing, embedding, microtomy, routine and specialised staining techniques, immunohistochemistry, and molecular diagnostic techniques appropriate to their area of work and competence. The post holder will validate results and use judgement in determining when further investigations or procedures may be required.
• The post holder will actively participate in the maintenance and troubleshooting of laboratory equipment, reporting faults, incidents and non-compliances to senior staff as appropriate. They will contribute to quality management activities including quality control, quality assurance, audit and continuous improvement initiatives.
• All staff are required to work in compliance with departmental and Trust Health and Safety policies, including COSHH, risk assessments and standard operating procedures, to ensure a safe working environment for patients, visitors and colleagues.
• Specialist Biomedical Scientists will be expected to provide specialist scientific and technical expertise within Cellular Pathology, supporting the day-to-day operational delivery of the service. They will contribute to the supervision, organisation and training of Biomedical Scientists, Healthcare Science Associate Practitioners, Healthcare Science Assistants and staff undertaking registration portfolios and competency assessments.
• Specialist Biomedical Scientist will undertake more advanced technical duties, including the microscopic interpretation of tissue and/or fluid samples and the selection and dissection of tissue for diagnosis, where trained and competent to do so. They will contribute to service development, validation and implementation of new techniques, quality initiatives and improvement projects.
• Specialist Biomedical Scientists will also deputise for Advanced Biomedical Scientists as required, providing leadership, technical guidance and operational support to ensure continuity of service delivery.

Job Purpose

• The department of Cellular Pathology is made up of Histology, Cytology, Neuropathology, Research and Mortuary Services. The post holder will rotate between sections and participate as part of a team, in providing Cellular Pathology service to the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, General Practitioners, other Trusts and other users of the service.
• Procedures will be carried out without supervision under the guidance of a Senior Biomedical Scientist.
• To work as part of a team in the receipt of Cellular Pathology specimens, assisting in specimen dissection and preparing samples for processing, recording details on the laboratory information system, storage and eventual disposal of residual tissue.
• To undertake cryotomy on intraoperative tissue samples (frozen sections) and produce high quality sections in a timely and efficient manner.
• To carry out a wide range of laboratory procedures, e.g. taking X-rays of breast and bone samples, programming tissue processors, orientating and embedding tissue samples, preparing and analysing non-gynaecological cytology preparations, microtomy, tissue staining, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, molecular
  diagnostic procedures, validate results and use judgement in determining and initiating further procedures that may be required.
• To actively participate in the maintenance and basic trouble shooting of laboratory equipment, report any faults and non-compliances to a senior member of staff and take prompt and appropriate action in response to unexpected situations.
• To participate in Quality Control and correct any minor non-conformities and report any major non-compliant events to a senior member of staff.
• To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors.
• To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH,Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any noncompliances to a senior member of staff.

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals are a forward thinking and highly innovative organisation, the use of Third-Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual application or to the recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Person specification

Qualifications & Education

• BSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent qualification
• IBMS Specialist Diploma (postgraduate) in Cellular Pathology or equivalent level of knowledge
• Current Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration

Knowledge & Experience

• Previous experience in a Cellular Pathology laboratory
• Broad knowledge of Cellular Pathology and specialist knowledge of Cellular Pathology including Laboratory Techniques
• Basic IT knowledge

Skills & Abilities

• Able to organise and prioritise own work activities
• Analytical and judgemental skills
• Planning and organisational skills

Band 5 Meets All Criteria

• BSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent qualification approved by the IBMS
• Health and Care Professions Council registration (HCPC)
• Knowledge of Cellular Pathology
• Previous laboratory experience as a Trainee Biomedical Scientist/Healthcare Scientist in an NHS Laboratory
• Familiarity with Health & Safety and COSHH
• Participates in CPD
• Able to organise and prioritise own work activities
• Communication
• Planning and organisational skills
• Analytical and judgemental skills
• Member of the IBMS

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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