Medical Laboratory Assistant | North Bristol NHS Trust

Medical Laboratory Assistant - Pathology Sciences

This post is a full-time appointment, 36 hours per week. The postholder will be required to work 3x12 hour shifts 20:00 - 08:00 which may include weekends and Bank Holidays.

The successful candidates will be working as part of a team providing support to the Pathology Blood Sciences Laboratory which is based in our purpose built building at Southmead Hospital.

Postholders must be able to work as an effective team member, have good data input skills, remain calm under pressure, be able to deal with healthcare professionals, patients and members of the public in a discreet and professional manner and be able to work unsupervised and manage own workload where required.

The postholder will work under the direction of senior staff to work as part of a team to provide 24/7 support to the Blood Sciences laboratory. The post will primarily operate in Sample Reception, providing data input and pre-analytical support.

The postholder must be able to deal with confidential information appropriately, be able to work accurately and to deadlines and be able to work with minimum supervision.

Please note this is primarily a data input role with some handling of pathology specimens required. This is not a training post and does not support completion of the HCPC Portfolio.

To understand more about what it's like to work in Pathology,watch this video

Please note, we are not able to offer visa sponsorship on this role.

Main duties will include

• Data input of patient details and test request information
• Sorting, preparation and processing of clinical samples for biological testing
• Assisting with Telephone Helpdesk enquiries
• Communicating test results to appropriate healthcare professionals.

The postholder will be required to work 3x12 hour shifts 20:00 - 08:00 which may include weekends and Bank Holidays.

Training will take place during dayshift hours.

This advert may close early, if we have received a sufficient amount of applications. Therefore you are highly advised to apply as soon as possible if you are interested in this position.

The Blood Sciences Sample Reception team support the working of the Blood Sciences Automated Laboratory. We have approximately 35 members of staff within our reception team who work across a variety of shifts to provide 24/7 support to the Haematology, Blood Transfusion, Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology laboratories.

The Blood Sciences Autolab provides analysis of pathology samples for NBT Trust inpatients and outpatients and provides an analytical service to a large number of GP practices.

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

For a full overview of the Job Description and Person Specification, please refer to the PDF documents attached as an additional documents to this advert.

Sample Preparation

1. Receive and sort pathology samples.

2. Distribute samples to departments.

3. Label samples and prepare them for analysis.

4. Record and inform service users and senior staff of requests received that do not comply with the NBT Policy for Request Form and Specimen labelling.

5. Send and receive samples via the air tube system

Data Handling

1. Enter data onto the laboratory computer system.

2. Input and retrieval of data from department and other IT systems.

Telephone Helpdesk

1. Deal with all telephone and e-mail enquiries in an appropriate manner.

2. Respond to requests for test results and sample requirements.

3. Refer calls to appropriate members of staff.

Housekeeping and Maintenance Tasks

1. Dispose of clinical and non-clinical waste in accordance with Trust and departmental policies

2. Clean and decontaminate working areas and equipment in accordance with laboratory protocols and record such actions.

3. Assist with the use and maintenance of some laboratory equipment.

4. Maintain adequate stocks of consumables

This advert closes on Wednesday 27 May 2026