Associate Practicioner

Job summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Trust is the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe with a national and international reputation for high quality patient care, research & development and education. It is situated on 3 sites; two in Central London and one at Sutton in Surrey.

We have recently established a new team to manage point of care devices throughout the Trust. This team provides quality assurance and support for the devices in use in all Clinical areas and is working towards providing an ISO accredited POCT service. This is an exciting opportunity to join the newly established team and develop the quality assurance of point of care testing at The Royal Marsden.

The team includes an Associate Practitioner, Senior BMS, Clinical Scientist and is supported by the Blood Sciences department. The successful candidate will deliver training, perform audits, and support clinical staff with POCT devices. The department encourages and supports further education and personal development.

For further information or to arrange an informal visit, please contact Freeda Millet ( or Helen Berry (

The Trust encourages and supports continuing professional and personal development and Pathology runs a CPD Club

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will support nursing staff with the operation and management of point of care devices throughout the Trust. Point-of-care testing (POCT) is defined as medical testing at or near the site of patient care by specially trained healthcare professionals. The post holder will be involved in device training, audit, device troubleshooting and maintenance. The post holder will be involved with activities including record keeping and other quality assurance tasks.

About us

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.

Follows Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at all times. T o provide a supporting role to users of POCT devices. To safely handle, use or dispose of blood, urine, faeces or other biological material, and hazardous chemicals. To maintain POCT devices in accordance with manufacturers recommendations To understand basic operation of POCT devices, in order to load samples and carry out routine maintenance tasks. Assist in monitoring stock control of consumables held in the department Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

Good general education. GCSE grade C or higher in English and Maths A level or equivalent relevant experience. BSc (Hons) or equivalent qualification

Desirable

ECDL or equivalent Ongoing learning and development

Experience

Essential

Experience of MS Excel and MS Word or similar software.

Desirable

Experience of audit Previous experience in a laboratory or POCT role Experience of delivering training Experience of understanding and following Standard Operating Procedures.

Skills Abilities/knowledge

Essential

Ability to write clearly and concisely. Able to work to deadlines. Ability to express themselves clearly and communicate information. Attention to detail

Desirable

Demonstrates proactive approach to problem solving. Knowledge of ISO15189 standards

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