Principle Clinical Scientist

Job summary

This advert is for an 8a Principal Clinical Scientist post in the Newborn Screening (NBS) laboratory working closely with the Inherited Metabolic Disease (IMD) in the Synnovis Biochemical Sciences department located at St Thomas' Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. This full-time permanent post offers an exciting and unique opportunity for an individual to continue their development and experience in these specialist areas of Clinical Biochemistry.

The successful candidate will work as a member of the team responsible for the development and delivery of a range of mass spectrometry and chromatography-based techniques as well as FTIR and RT-PCR, used to aid screening, diagnosis and monitoring of genetic diseases in metabolic pathways.

Candidates will have experience of working in Laboratory Medicine, including interpretation, analytical and clinical validation of patient results, clinical liaison, manual sample preparation techniques, analytical troubleshooting, IQC and EQA review, audit and method development.

Experience in mass spectrometry/chromatography as well as analytical and clinical aspects of screening and diagnosis of inherited metabolic disease are required. In addition, the candidate should have attained or show they are actively working towards part 1 of the FRCPath qualification.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the post holder may include, but are not limited to:

Oversight of day-to-day activities within the NBS and IMD laboratories

Authorisation of NBS results and participation in the weekend NBS rota

Interpretation and authorisation of complex metabolic results including organic acids, amino acids, acylcarnitines, very long chain fatty acids, purines/pyrimidines and renal stones

Attendance at meetings with those involved in the screening pathway and other clinical colleagues including Metabolic MDT meetings

Participation in section meetings and other departmental or external meetings

Carrying out routine assays in the lab if and as required, in accordance with documented standard operating procedures

Use of the Quality Management System, including identifying, recording and troubleshooting errors, writing and reviewing documentation, and participation in the departmental audit schedule

Routine involvement in review of IQC and EQA results including participation in interpretative metabolic EQA schemes

Identifying and troubleshooting analytical and clinical issues as they arise

Training and teaching of work experience students, clinical colleagues, visitors to the department and STP trainees

About us

Your development and learning

You will have a suite of learning opportunities available through The Synnovis Way Development programme, the Scientific Learning and Development Fund and the Synnovis Academy through which you can receive funding / support for advanced qualifications.

Through our Innovation Accelerator Fund, you can apply for finance to get that new innovative scientific project off the ground, and participate with the wider scientific community through symposiums, conferences and other peer group meetings.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Clinical service

To comply with the policies and procedures of Synnovis, and Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust.

To observe and adhere to local and national health and safety policies.

To keep the workplace and workbenches clean and tidy.

To maintain good work relations with all members of staff, and to promote effective teamwork.

To treat everyone associated with Synnovis, and Guys & St Thomas Hospital NHS Trust, with courtesy and respect.

To observe national and local guidance on patient and commercial confidentiality.

Keep appropriate records of all communications.

To ensure compliance with all local and national standards of work practice UKAS ISO15189.

To maintain and promote the professional image of Synnovis, and Guys & St Thomas Hospital NHS Trust.

To comply with local and national policies for the safe, secure and confidential processing, and storage of patient and other laboratory information.

To use the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) according to the authorised protocols.

To maintain the integrity and accuracy of laboratory databases

To develop systems and processes for recording and storing laboratory information.

To be competent in spreadsheets and processing of data for audit, research and other scientific information gathering.

To organise and participate in the rota for the validation of results from the section providing clear and helpful comments where appropriate.

To maintain an expertise in procedures associated with Metabolic Biochemistry in order to give expert scientific and clinical advice to other scientists and clinicians in and outside of the Trust.

To provide clinical and scientific advice to clinicians on the appropriateness and choice of biochemical investigations and their interpretation.

With the rest of the team, to meet regularly with clinicians to discuss the service and its development, research areas and Trust issues associated with Metabolic Biochemistry.

To organise and perform method and laboratory instrument evaluation.

To be an active member of national and international bodies in Metabolic Biochemistry

To safely handle blood, urine, faeces, other body tissue, hazardous and or radioactive chemicals.

To establish and maintain a system that ensures Standard Operating Procedures are kept up to date so that reagents are prepared, stored and used according to manufacturer and laboratory procedures.

To perform complex manual, semi-automated and fully automated laboratory investigations but particularly the more specialised tests of the section.

Routine involvement in QC and EQA performance, including ensuring QC and EQA is monitored and that appropriate action is taken where required.

Help to ensure that management and operational performance data is monitored in conjunction with the Operations Manager and other Clinical Scientists, for example turn-round times, workload and materials consumption and plan and take corrective action where necessary.

To undertake validation of the results from laboratory investigations to ensure accuracy and precision as specified by laboratory quality procedures and protocols.

To organise appropriate action when there is a situation which may or has caused a service delivery failure in conjunction with the Operations Manager and other Clinical Scientists.

Develop and maintain a system of record and documentation keeping for routine and research work. To ensure staff in the section keep records up to date and to ensure that all records and documentation are maintained properly.

2. Management and Administration

To help the Director of Service and Service Delivery Manager to provide routine and specialised services to the UKAS standard.

To prepare and review laboratory policies and procedures following national and local quality system guidelines.

To prepare and review laboratory policies and procedures in connection with the specialised services of the section.

To ensure that all results are reported within the agreed turnaround time, and to take appropriate action, including communicating with colleagues and managers and adjusting staff deployment etc. within section in the event of assay failure.

Attend section meetings and other management meetings.

To deputise for the 8a Principal Clinical Scientist at departmental and national meetings when required.

Line management of Band 7 Clinical Scientists.

Assist in selection and appointment of staff.

To coordinate, support and perform the development of new assays which need to be implemented.

3. Teaching and Training

Participate fully in an approved CPD Scheme.

To train and develop the competence of Medical Laboratory Assistants, Trainee Clinical and Biomedical Scientists, Biomedical Scientists, Clinical Scientists and Specialist Registrars in the procedures for which the post holder is responsible.

To coordinate the training and development of staff on all tandem mass spectrophotometers across pathology in conjunction with appropriate section seniors.

To participate in teaching within the Trust, Community and University.

4. Research and Audit

To assist the Operations Manager prepare and monitor management and operational performance data, for example turnaround times, workload and materials consumption, plan and take corrective action if required.

To promote and undertake appropriate research and development with clinical and scientific colleagues.

To communicate scientific and clinical information and promote the work of the department at departmental, national and international meetings.

To participate in the departments schedule for auditing.

To initiate and manage clinical audits in metabolic biochemistry.

5. Additional Duties and Responsibilities

The post holder may be required to participate in departmental clinical and analytical rotas, including out of hours cover.

Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London. The partnership provides services to million people living in South East London, as well as to hundreds of thousands of patients from outside the region who use local healthcare services. The partnership provides diagnostics, testing and digital pathology for hospital trusts, GP services and other healthcare providers.

Guys and St Thomas Hospital Foundation Trust is a major emergency and specialist teaching Trust which has all the specialties associated with a fascinating and career defining case load including: Womens Services, Fetal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Transplantation, and is also home to the Evelina Childrens Hospital and the Cancer Centre on the Guys site. You will be close to the vibrant Borough Market and the South Bank, which are exceptional London locations; perfect places to work and relax next to such iconic venues as Big Ben, The London Eye and The Shard

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

BSc in Biochemistry or related subject MSc in Clinical Biochemistry FRCPath part 1 State Registered Clinical Scientist (Health and Care Professions Council)

Desirable

FRCPath PhD in Biochemistry, Chemistry or related subject

Experience

Essential

Experience of working in a Clinical Biochemistry department, including interpretation and validation of patient results Experience of working in Newborn Screening laboratories and/or Metabolic Biochemistry Routine use of LC-MS/MS or other chromatographic techniques and manual sample preparation techniques Routine use of qPCR or other molecular techniques Method development and validation

Desirable

Analytical and clinical validation of results of metabolic assays such as organic acids and amino acids Analytical and clinical validation of results of metabolic assays such as organic acids and amino acids

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

Analytical and clinical understanding of Newborn Screening and Metabolic Biochemistry Comprehensive understanding of complex chromatography-based and/or molecular techniques Knowledge of the UKAS standard and its application in a clinical laboratory

Desirable

Can demonstrate examples of good leadership behaviours

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