State registered biomedical scientist

We have an opportunity for an enthusiastic, self‑motivated individual to join the Molecular Diagnostics Department at the Royal Surrey Foundation Trust for a full‑time, permanent position.

The Department is part of Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services (BSPS). It is an ISO accredited service providing specialist molecular diagnostic services for BSPS departments, associated Trust clinicians and external laboratories in five health Trusts across the region. The department provides a variety of genetic services for the specific diagnosis of patients and to enable personalised, genetic‑based oncology treatments.

We are looking for a state registered biomedical scientist or an individual who expects to be registered in the coming months.

Key responsibilities will include performing and overseeing the processing of both manual and automated PCR setup as well as more complex assay preparation such as sequencing and genetic signature analyses.

The post holder, as part of their routine work, will assist in the maintenance of the quality management system within the department under the guidance of the departmental quality officer. It is expected that the post‑holder will manage specific laboratory processes and be involved in training junior staff as well as taking responsibility for the release of certain patient results.

• To be responsible for the timely delivery of molecular diagnostic analyses.
• To manage the time management of multiple tasks as described in the job description and respond to the changing requirements of the laboratory by accommodating additional tasks as required.
• To undertake sample preparation, analysis and recording of results in accordance with approved procedures.
• To have an understanding of the clinical notes on the patient request card in order to determine any subsequent work to be done on the sample; this information can be complex.
• To provide and receive routine clinical information and to respond to clinical inquiries under the direction of a clinical scientist.
• To undertake the specialised techniques used in the department, and to be able to identify all non‑routine situations and queries as they arise, and bring these to the attention of a senior member of staff if they cannot be resolved.
• To carry out routine laboratory tasks including DNA/ RNA preparation, maintenance of equipment, reagents and chemicals.
• To take part in the daily maintenance of system; this may involve fault finding and corrective action on complex equipment or making a decision to call an engineer.
• To provide, after appropriate training, specialist clinical and technical services following routine and non‑routine laboratory procedures, under the management of a clinical scientist.
• To provide provisional interpretation of the quality of the analyses and to initiate any necessary remedial action under the direction of a clinical scientist.
• To maintain and update laboratory databases of clinical referrals.
• To attend any appropriate laboratory training sessions and to carry out any resulting tasks.
• To report to the Quality Officers and BSPS Lead Quality Manager on the performance of the Quality Management System and any need for improvement.
• To collate and analyse data relating to the performance of the Quality Management System.
• To analyse non‑conformities within the department and deal with corrective, preventative and root cause analysis where appropriate.
• To participate in the annual audit schedules raising non‑conformities and performing corrective, preventative and root cause analysis where appropriate.
• To demonstrate activities or workplace routines to new or less experienced individuals in own area.
• To train staff as necessary in the use of new techniques and to monitor the standards of work produced.
• To abide by the codes of practice, Health and Safety and COSHH regulations, protocols and policies of the laboratory.
• To assist in the process of updating laboratory manuals and standard operating procedures.
• To be aware of current developments within Molecular Diagnostics.

For more information, please contact Pierre Foskett, Laboratory Manager, on  or email: [email protected]