We
are seeking an Advanced Practitioner to join our busy Cellular Pathology
Department. The post holder will have
primary responsibility for the smooth running of the Cellular Pathology
Genomics Centre, CPGC, lead and co-ordinate the daily activities under their
area of responsibility and actively participate in service improvement initiatives.
An
innovative department, we were the first laboratory in the UK digitally
scanning all surgical slides and the first to introduce automated tissue
sectioners to the UK. We are a
regional Cellular Pathology Genomics Centre and pilot site for the Cancer
Vaccine Launch Pad. The department has appointed a Transformation Lead to
support with development of the service and is also supported by a Pathology
Technology & Innovation Lead.
Applicants
should have extensive experience in Cellular pathology techniques and hold a
relevant MSc, Higher Specialist Diploma or equivalent Level 7 qualification.
Undertake
highly specialist clinical technical investigations for the diagnosis,
monitoring and treatment of disease. This will require the complex analysis,
interpretation and comparison of clinical samples.
Co-ordinate,
validate and authorize the daily technical activities of a section of the
laboratory. Ensure the training of
technical and scientific staff within area of specialist responsibility.
Lead
where appropriate in quality activities such as accreditation, audit, EQA
review, validation, change and risk management.
Communicate
highly complex and / or sensitive information to colleagues and other
healthcare staff.
Lead
and be accountable for a section of the laboratory discipline and deputise
for more senior staff where appropriate. As a senior staff member you will be
required to assist in the general management of the department, for example
in areas such as basic HR functions, appraisal, incident investigation etc.
Any training required for this will be provided.
The
department provides Histopathology, Non Gynae Cytology, Andrology, Muscle,
Nerve, Immunohistochemistry, Molecular, and Mortuary services for Leeds
Teaching Hospitals Trust and surrounding primary care centres.
We
are a well equipped and innovative department being the first laboratory in
the UK digitally scanning 100% of surgical slides, also introducing the UK's
first automated tissue sectioners. We process circa 58,000 surgical cases,
2,000 autopsy cases and 6000 non-gynaecological cytology cases per
annum. We are a continually improving
department, striving for high quality staff and processes. As a training
hospital we serve to expand the knowledge and skills of all staff. There are
plenty of opportunities to become involved, and further development is
encouraged. We endeavour to follow
'The Leeds Way' at all times putting the patient first at all times.
Leeds
Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'
members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts
are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove
adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the
shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this
process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any
questions.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In
order to work effectively in the role, the jobholder must be able to demonstrate
a number of attributes and abilities. These will include:
To manage molecular pathology
pathways within the department which involve the integration of
Histopathological, Immunocytochemical and molecular investigations.
To manage the delegated budget of
the section(s) if so required by the Pathology Service Manager.
To be support in the development of
the services that is in line with the departmental strategy.
To undertake other tasks that
contribute to the general management of the speciality.
To gain new knowledge through
experience, formal study and participation in relevant training schemes.
To remain competent in established
procedures and to develop new skills subject to the requirements of the
service.
To work independently when and as
required by the service.
To communicate clearly and
effectively whether orally, graphically or electronically.
To present information to large
groups of staff.
To plan and implement changes to
the clinical technical service offered by the section(s).
To work with precision and follow
accurately the documented laboratory standard operating procedures.
To operate laboratory equipment
safely and efficiently.
To support the evaluation,
recommendation and procurement of new and emerging technologies which will
involve equipment testing and the co-ordination of specialist R&D
activities.
To input, manage, extract and
interpret patient data using the laboratory computer system including the
recording of personally generated information and data entry, text processing
and storage of data.
To manage a failsafe system to
ensure Patients with abnormal results are offered the opportunity for
appropriate and timely investigation and treatment.
To demonstrate relevant tasks to others
as appropriate.
Is responsible for the day-to-day
management of a team of staff and provide specialist training to internal and
external groups along with the assessment of competencies and is instrumental
in the formulation of training schemes for all groups of staff involved in
the speciality.
To contribute actively towards the
improvement of general service quality by participation in relevant
discussions with other managers and team leaders.
To participate actively in the
departmental appraisal scheme.
To participate actively in other
governance procedures that are consistent with Trust HR policies.
Support in the writing of numerous trust and
inter-trust policies, service level agreements and contracts and bids for new
work along with consultation on external policies, contracts and job
descriptions.
With the involvement in clinical
risk, the jobholder will investigate errors, accidents and incidents both
within the speciality and external to the employing authority. As a consequence, the post holder can be
exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances.
To take account of changes in
service delivery by demonstrating a flexible approach to work.
The post requires judgements
involving complex facts or situations, which require the analysis,
interpretation and comparison of a range of sometimes conflicting options on
which expert opinions may differ.
To provide service-related
documentation for the defined areas of responsibility, for example reviewing
and updating standard operating procedures, as a function of the departments
accreditation requirements.
CORE
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The
jobholder will require sufficient knowledge and understanding to:
Perform, validate and authorize the
results of a wide range of highly complex technical procedures. These
procedures will include the safe and effective use of laboratory equipment.
The level of knowledge and understanding of these procedures will be
consistent with that to allow recognition of system failures and errors and
the jobholder will understand the need to report adverse events when errors
and failures occur and contribute to any consequent investigation.
Have knowledge and understanding of
current national legislation and guidelines relevant to Histopathology
including immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology.
Have a good understanding of LIMS
systems, digital pathology workflows and potential AI tools
Participate actively in
departmental internal and external quality assurance schemes. The level of
knowledge and understanding will allow recognition of when expected levels of
quality have not been met together with the ability to recommend appropriate
improvements.
Work with the Histopathology
Operational and Service Manager to ensure that the department meets the
requirements of accreditation bodies e.g. UKAS.
Participate in the maintenance of a
safe working environment. This will include an awareness of the hazards
associated with the work and suitable actions to take in the event of breaches
in health and safety. Such hazards include fire, manual handling, and
breaches of security, controlled and uncontrolled exposure to chemical,
biological and radioactive materials.
Maintain patient confidentiality.
The jobholder will recognise the absolute requirement to protect sensitive
information that is related to patient care.
Comply with the requirements of
departmental policies relating to service provision, for example sample
labelling and adverse event reporting.
Comply with the requirements of
Trust policies relating to clinical and people governance.
PRINCIPAL
DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
The
post holder will be recognised as a specialist in their field, and as such
the expert reporting will
comprise a significant part of their
role.
The
post holder will be responsible for managing molecular pathology pathways
within the department, which involve the integration of histopathological,
immunocytochemical and molecular investigations. The will involve:
Ensuring that specimens are sampled
and prepared appropriately to allow the full range of immunohistochemical and
molecular investigations to be performed.
Working with histopathologists to
assign specimens to individual molecular pathology pathways.
Monitor the quality outcomes of
molecular investigations.
Co-ordinating audit activities and
continuous review of pathways and protocols.
Providing education and training to
biomedical scientists and pathologists in molecular pathology.
Work with pathology managers and clinical
staff to develop the external referral practice in molecular pathology
pathways. Act as a single point of
contact for external service users.
The
post holder will assist Pathologists in the pre-analytical assessment of
samples for genomic testing and reporting molecular immunohistochemistry, and
in that role will be expected to carry out the following duties according to
the appropriate standard operating procedures, ensuring health and safety
guidance is followed. This component of the role will focus on acquiring and
correctly handling tissue specimen suitable for genomic analysis and will
involve liaison with theatre and radiology staff.
Performing
molecular pathology assessment and reporting as part of the specific
histopathology speciality teams.
Teaching,
training and supervision of Biomedical Scientists and ST1-5 junior medical
staff in appropriate molecular pathology pre-analytical assessment and
reporting techniques.
Providing
support and advice to junior medical staff with molecular pathology
attachments.
Work
under their own initiative referring to standard operating procedures and
amending as required after consultation with Consultant Histopathologists and
the Histopathology Management Team.
Working
with medical staff to develop and improve techniques in molecular pathology
pre-analytical assessment and reporting.
Participating
in multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDT) and genomic tumour advisory boards
(GTABs) in support of the specialty teams ensuring effective patient
management, providing specialist input where appropriate to clinicians and
medical staff from other departments. This is seen as an integral part of the
extended role.
Attaining
appropriate knowledge, skills and qualifications in relation to an advanced
practitioner role. To support, in consultation with the Lead Pathologist and
the Laboratory Manager the strategic direction of the service with regards to
molecular pathology ensuring the service is developed in line with the
national and local policy.
Liaising
with colleagues external to the department to improve services, e.g. Genomic
Laboratory Hub clinical scientists.
Responsible
in consultation with the Lead Pathologist for molecular pathology audits as
required to demonstrate the quality of the molecular pathology service.
To
have protected time for molecular pathology review/reporting as appropriate
with authorising pathologist.
To
have protected time to regularly observe complex molecular pathology
reporting by experienced pathologists.
To
review and interpret molecular pathology tests as appropriate to level of
experienced and formulate report with clinical interpretation as appropriate
for discussion with reporting pathologist prior to authorisation. This will include:
i. Assessing the suitability of tissue
block(s) for molecular analysis.
ii. Interpreting the pre-analytical
criteria and molecular immunohistochemistry as part of the overall diagnostic
pathway.
To
ensure that the performance of laboratory equipment within the section
complies to standards and in the event of failure or malfunction takes prompt
and appropriate action to ensure continued running of the section.