Biomedical Support Worker | Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	The Great Western Hospitals NHS FT
Salary:	£25,760 - £27,476 per annum pro rata
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Swindon, SN3 6BB
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	10 Sept 2026
Closing date:	10 Oct 2026

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Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join Great Western Hospital as a Biomedical Support Worker.

You will part of the Cellular Pathology team involved in the technical preparation of specimens and performing defined procedures in accordance with standard operating procedures. This will include all aspects of the routine service provided by the department.

• Reception of specimens. Reception includes collection of specimens from pathology reception, data matching between specimen containers and request forms, coding samples, sorting into the correct work stream, and identification of specimens which must be rejected. Rejected samples must be resolved and logged.

• Set up, and clean down of dissection area, ensuring all required equipment/consumables are available and correct cleaning/disinfection methods are used. May involve some exposure to sharps (e.g. scalpel blades, dissection knives).

• Assist with the process of specimen dissection. This involves writing medical dictation for occasionally long periods of time, and checking patient and specimen identification.

• Responsibility for specimen storage and disposal. Store specimens awaiting disposal correctly, following departmental protocol. Identification of specimens ready for disposal. Disposal of specimens in a safe manner, including those requiring non-standard disposal (e.g. POCs).

• Embedding processed tissue. This involves correctly orientating tissue in order to ensure subsequent diagnostic processes are able to be completed accurately.

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people. We are creating a heath and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

• Preparation of case for discussion at multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTs). This includes identification of the appropriate cases, retrieval of slides from archive, data entry onto Excel spreadsheets, recording of audit data on completion of the meeting, and filing completed MDT lists.

• Sorting of cases to be sent to other hospitals for further testing/expert opinion/review. Logging all material sent and returned, to ensure a full audit trail is available for every specimen.

• Archive filing of all blocks, slides and other material, including preparation of blocks/slides for off-site storage and maintenance of records of material stored off-site.

• Retrieval of archived reports from current and previous laboratory IT systems.

• Maintenance and cleaning of automated staining machine, including the correct disposal of solvent waste in accordance with national and local regulations. This may involve some heavy lifting.

Please see the attached job description for full information

This advert closes on Friday 18 Sep 2026

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