Specialist Biomedical Scientist

Specialist Biomedical Scientist

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

• Interview Date Friday 07 August 2026
• 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week, including participation in Saturday rota (approximately one week in
  6)
• You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all information before applying for the vacancy

To contribute to the provision of an effective clinical Cellular Pathology service to the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, General Practitioners, other Trusts and other users of the service. This will involve assisting a line manager with operational continuity by supervising, organising and directing Biomedical Scientists, Healthcare Science Associate Practitioners and Healthcare Science Assistants and also imparting specialist knowledge in clinical and technical situations and will report non-compliance to their line manager.

This would include training and mentorship of staff undertaking portfolios.

To ensure laboratory diagnostic tests and procedures are performed accurately and efficiently and results validated microscopically and judgement used in determining if further tests/procedures are necessary.

To microscopically interpret tissue and/or fluid samples, select and dissect areas for diagnosis e.g. renal biopsies.

To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment. To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any non-compliances to the Department Health and Safety Officer.

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:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

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.

It is essential that applicants hold the IBMS Specialist Portfolio to be appointed at Band
6. Candidates who have completed or close to completing their portfolio will be appointed to Band 5 until the Specialist Portfolio certificate has been received. Applications may also be considered from experienced HCPC-registered Biomedical Scientists in which case appointment would be made at 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 as a specialist referral centre handle cases regionally, nationally and from overseas; we provide an excellent opportunity to gain experience with a wide range of specimens and repertoire of tests.

We work closely with genomics services, accommodating the increasing complexity of integrated pathology and molecular diagnostics.

The laboratory is divided into a Specimen Reception, Slide Production, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Muscle & Nerve, Electron Microscopy, Neuropathology, Cytology, Genomics preparation, Mohs and research facility Novo Path. We have established Advanced Practitioner roles undertaking specimen dissection with some undertaking RCPath reporting qualifications for BMSs.

The laboratory is open Monday Friday, 7am 6pm, flexibility is encouraged to support the staff and the service. As a major Transplant Centre, we also provide an out of hours on-call service that is voluntary to join.

• 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…