Associate Practitioner - POCT

A fantastic opportunity has opened within our Point of Care Testing (POCT) team for a motivated Band 4 Associate Practitioner -- and there has never been a more exciting time to join us. The department has a sharp focus on innovation, from the rollout of a cutting edge single solution data management system to our key role in establishing brand new Community Diagnostic Centres in Southend and Basildon.

Our POCT team is at the heart of patient care across Southend and Basildon University Hospitals and their surrounding community sites. We deliver a fast, high quality, and responsive service that keeps clinical teams equipped and confident in using essential POCT technology -- including blood gas analysers, blood glucose meters, urinalysis devices, pregnancy testing platforms, and more. You'll also play a vital part in validating and verifying new devices, helping to shape future developments and support major projects across the organisation.

As a valued member of the POCT team, you'll work across both hospital sites -- Basildon and Southend -- as well as community locations, covering shifts between 8am and 8pm, with weekend daytime work included. If you're ready for a varied, hands on role where your skills directly impact patient care and service innovation, this is your moment to step forward.

The Associate Practitioner will work within the Point of Care Testing (POCT) Team in both the hospital setting and out in the Community. The post holder will assist the POCT Manager in overseeing both POCT equipment and users of the service. They will have responsibility for training Trust staff in the correct use of POCT instruments. In addition, they may perform a range of protocol driven tasks, some of which may be specialist or complex procedures.

The post holder will mainly be working with other healthcare professionals in order to support routine Secondary Care procedures in a Primary or Secondary Care setting. As an Associate Practitioner in Point of Care, you will be expected to work across Basildon and Southend hospital sites as well as our Community locations. Key Relationships:
Other healthcare professionals and Point of Care Testing staff. Appropriate Line Managers and Clinical Scientists within the Blood Sciences Department.

At SYNLAB, we believe in nurturing a culture of well-being and ensuring our employees are supported both professionally and personally. That's why we're thrilled to offer an exhilarating rewards package, including our incredible Wellbeing Allowance worth up to £1,500 per annum for our esteemed team members working in Band 2 - 6 roles.

Pathology First is a joint venture between Southend University Hospital, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals and Synlab. The services provided by Pathology First covers all disciplines including Blood Transfusion, Biochemistry, Haematology, Immunology, Microbiology, Histopathology, Cytopathology and Phlebotomy.

Based off-site in Basildon, Essex, our purpose-built, state-of-the-art hub laboratory undertakes consolidated, harmonised, routine testing as well as an increasing range of specialist laboratory work. This leaves the hospital-based Essential Service Laboratories also run by SYNLAB to focus on urgent clinical laboratory tests, which require a fast turnaround time. Over 450 employees service a population of over 850,000 people locally, providing over 16 million tests annually.

Technical:
To undertake routine operative and preventative maintenance on point of care testing instruments;
To perform validation and verification of new equipment for new projects/developments and replacement equipment;
Undertake basic troubleshooting of analytical instruments and automated analysers in POCT;
Ensure quality control measures are carried out to monitor analytical performance, take corrective action where applicable and report any failures to a senior member of staff in POCT;
Set up equipment for safe use by others;
Perform processing of EQA specimens on a variety of POCT equipment;
Analyse and make judgments on straightforward scientific/technical issues, which may…