Medical Laboratory Assistant - Central Reception in Bournemouth

Medical Laboratory Assistant - Central Reception

Band 2

Main area Blood Sciences Grade Band 2 Contract 9 months (Fixed term contract to cover maternity leave) Hours Part time - 30 hours per week (Shifts - including weekend and night duties) Job ref 153-SP06783-A

Department name 01. UHD - General Recruitment Site The Dorset Pathology Hub - Royal Bournemouth Hospital Town Bournemouth Salary £25,272 pa Salary period Yearly Closing 06/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 21/10/2026

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

Job overview

We are seeking well organised, highly motivated individuals to join our multidisciplinary team.
Applications are invited for the post of Medical Laboratory Assistant to work within the Central Reception Department at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust which will cover both sites at Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. The departments include Biochemistry, Haematology and Transfusion and are all UKAS accredited.
Medical Laboratory Assistants work as part of a team supporting the Biomedical scientists. Medical Laboratory Assistants receive and process (data entry) samples prior to testing by Biomedical Scientists in the laboratories.

The successful candidate will be trained to deal with enquiries on the telephone, and to accurately provide authorised results to other healthcare professionals as required.

Please ensure you read the attached person specification as your application will be assessed against this.
Hours are part time (30.0 hours per week) on a shift basis.

The laboratory operates 24/7 with core hours between 7am and 8pm, to include weekend and bank holiday working.

You will be required to undertake a typing test as part of the interview.

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for this position.

This post may close early due to high numbers of applications, so you are encouraged to apply promptly.

Main duties of the job

Medical Laboratory Assistants work as part of the team supporting the Biomedical Scientists. Biomedical Scientists analyse blood, body fluids, tissues and cells to determine the presence or absence of disease, to enable diagnosis and also to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. They also carry out tests and analyses, which enable population screening for inherited or malignant disorders.

After training MLAs will be required to carry out a range of laboratory procedures including to collect and separate samples from wards and from the phlebotomy service throughout the day, to receive, check, sort, uniquely identify, label and prepare for analysis including those specimens for clinical trials and to be responsible for the accurate and timely dispatch of samples to other laboratories for testing as required. These duties to be performed according to standard operating procedures and within daily deadlines.

Concentration, accuracy and attention to detail are essential to these processes and medical laboratory assistants will be expected to provide a helpful and professional service to patients and staff within the NHS.

The Central (Specimen) Reception services are based at both Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Bournemouth Hospital. The post will involve working at both sites.

Working for our organisation

Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued team mates and colleagues.

UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme.

In some cases this means that a services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

Contact -Amanda Terry , Central Reception Team Leader
amanda.terry6@nhs.net 0300 019 4796

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert. Please note previous applicants do not need to apply.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Good general education and must be numerate and literate with a good command of spoken and written English.

Experience

• Experience of working as part of a team. Able to work accurately.
• Happy to work in a busy environment

Skills

• Able to receive and communicate routine information to work colleagues or external contacts
• Competent and polite telephone manner
• Ability to work systematically and under pressure in a busy environment
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively as part of the laboratory team
• Ability to correctly follow appropriate procedures

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the importance and relevance of laboratory investigations to patient welfare
• Able to understand a range of routine work procedures, which require job training and a period of induction
• Able to seek advice and demonstrate work activities to new or less experienced staff
• Willingness to learn in response to changing work patterns or personal development
• Understand the role of Pathology within the NHS

Personal Attributes

• Ability to work as part of a team and as an individual
• Ability to use initiative
• Ability to concentrate for long periods at technically demanding procedures
• Reliable
• Able to deal with problems in a calm efficient manner
• Ability to move around the department to collect laboratory samples/ post etc
• Willing to work flexibly
• Ability to participate in an out of routine hours rota

Language requirement

• Able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role

Other requirements specific to the role

• Ability to lift light loads
• Ability to handle blood, urine and faeces specimens

Please note:

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands.

This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.

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