Healthcare Science Associate

The Microbiology department at Maidstone Hospital are looking for a confident and friendly person with a keen interest in science and healthcare to join our team or to progress their career. This is a fixed term opportunity for 18 months to 'backfill' a current member of staff during the implementation and testing phase of our new LIMS project.

The role involves various duties rotating between the bacteriology, enteric, serology and molecular sections of the laboratory. Assistance in the pre analytic and waste disposal sections of the department may be required, as well as conducting audits and training new staff.

• To participate in the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical processing of specimens.

To perform a range of manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations, in a safe, efficient and timely manner, following standard operating procedures. This may include initial preparation, accurate pipetting of very small volumes (< 5 μL) of fluid, or fine manipulation of laboratory equipment or performing time critical procedures.
To prepare and pack samples for dispatch to other laboratories ensuring
packaging meets current regulations.

• To undertake general laboratory house-keeping as specified in the SOPs and monitoring of the temperature of refrigerators, freezers and incubators

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a large acute hospital Trust in the county of Kent.

The Trust provides a full range of general hospital services and some areas of specialist complex care to around 500,000 people living in the south part of West Kent and the north part of East Sussex.

The Trust’s core catchment areas are Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and their surrounding boroughs. We work from two main clinical sites: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury. Tunbridge Wells Hospital opened in 2011 and provides single rooms with en-suites for all in-patients – the first of its kind in the country.

Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check atstandard level.

We are passionate in supporting our staff to develop and have great opportunities for career progression. We take equality and diversity seriously and seek to empower all diverse groups within our trust. We seek to develop a culture where diversity in all its forms is celebrated. We are committed to ensuring that women are empowered to work at all levels of management and that working patterns are as flexible as possible giving all members of staff opportunity to flourish in using their skills for our patients. We work across our trust to enable those who consider themselves to have a disability both visible and invisible to have access to all they need to thrive in their work environment. We work hard to embed an inclusive and accepting culture for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary staff. We have 78 nationalities working in our trust and we are proud of this. We are active in embracing the ethnic and cultural diversity in our trust. We work to empower people with any protected characteristic to have opportunities to work in an environment that helps them to contribute to the best of their ability, recognising and valuing the unique contributions each of us brings for best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to supporting the delivery of the Equality Act with zero tolerance for any discrimination, harassment or victimisation of applicants and staff with these protected characteristics. MTW also has active Disability, LGBT+ and Cultural Ethnic Minorities Networks to bring staff together and in act positive change!