About this role
Job summary
South of Tyne and Wear Clinical Pathology Services operates across laboratories in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead; Sunderland Royal Hospital and South Tyneside District Hospital. The service provides high quality diagnostic services to improve the health care of the people of South of Tyne and Wear. In addition it also provides bowel and cervical screening services for populations across the North East and Yorkshire.
The post holder will be responsible for the operational management of the sample reception processes to support the Biochemistry; Haematology Blood Transfusion and Immunology; Microbiology and Cervical Screening Departments of pathology. The Pathology Reception processes will be managed to ensure timely handing and processing of samples to support patient pathways across both primary and secondary care.
Main duties of the job The post holder will be responsible for:
Leading the pathology reception team across all sites Managing day-to-day reception and specimen handling Ensuring services meet KPIs, and is compliant with accreditation and regulatory standards Supporting budget control and service improvement Producing operational and performance reports Maintaining patient safety, quality, and governance Managing staff training, development, and supervision Handling complaints, enquiries, and escalated issues Overseeing IT systems and accurate record-keeping
About us
Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.
Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.
We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.
Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronymICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.
We have a number of staff networks including the BAME network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our armed forces network is one of our emerging networks.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.
Job description Job responsibilities
The provision of quality diagnostic services is a high priority for the organisation.
Main responsibilities of the post include: To provide effective leadership and operational management of the Pathology Reception teams across all laboratory sites To ensure the delivery of a high-quality, responsive reception service in line with agreed standards, KPIs, and regulatory requirements To oversee the safe and efficient management of specimen reception and associated operational processes To support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of service models and working practices To contribute to the delivery of performance, quality, governance, and patient safety objectives across the service To produce and monitor operational and performance reports as required To lead, manage, and support staff through supervision, appraisal, training, and development To manage complaints, enquiries, and escalated issues in a timely and professional manner To ensure the effective use of information systems and maintain accurate records in accordance with Trust policies
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Masters level qualification or equivalent experience Leadership Qualification or equivalent vocational experience
Experience Essential
Extensive operational management experience in a healthcare setting Experience managing staff and service delivery, including in complex or multi-site teams Experience leading change and service improvement Ability to implement governance structures, reporting frameworks, and KPI-focused performance management Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills Good IT skills, including reporting, presentations, data handling, and Trust information systems
Desirable
Experience managing to meet accreditation and regulatory requirements Experience of workforce planning, succession planning, and staff development Experience of audit, quality improvement, and using data to inform service redesign
Skills Essential
Leading and motivating teams Managing staff performance, development, appraisal Supporting teams through change Manages day to day service delivery
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead
Sheriff Hill
Gateshead
NE9 6SX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.qegateshead.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)