Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to work with the team at Guy's and St Thomas' (GSTT) Hospitals.



This is an exciting opportunity to continue to take the service through transformation as laboratories at hospital sites are upgraded to become essential services laboratories (ESLs).



You will predominantly be based at St Thomas' Hospital and will also cover the Blood Sciences Laboratory (BSL) at Guy's. There will be frequent opportunities to visit the Synnovis hub laboratory at Blackfriars as well as other sites within the organisation.



With a background in haematology, you will lead the Haemostasis Ultra Specialist Service (USS) located at St Thomas'.



The refurbished ESLs will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to deliver a quality service to hospital inpatients and those attending numerous outpatient clinics. Sysmex instrumentation is used for core haematology to provide full blood counts and routine haemostasis results. There is also a fully integrated IT system (EPIC) which links all Synnovis laboratories with the Trust to allow visibility of patient records across six hospital sites.



This role will be accountable for managing a team of scientific employees and support workers and will be responsible for delivering a discipline specific service as part of the laboratory team in Synnovis. Reporting to the Operational Service Lead (OSL), you will have a high level of responsibility including leading in an area of expertise to ensure the successful operational delivery of pathology services, in line with our corporate objectives.



You will hold a variety of accountabilities in the laboratory environment. These include, but are not limited to:



Direct and indirect line management responsibility for all employees in your service including delivering all aspects of people management, such as recruitment, performance management, absence management, learning and development, employee health and wellbeing.



Manage employee availability and shift allocation to ensure required employee resource levels, including where necessary, and within budget, temporary staffing requisitions, time sheet approval and overtime.



Ensure that all areas of responsibility comply with legislation and conform with ISO 15189 and the recommendations from recognised professional bodies.



Ensure the delivery and continuity of a diagnostic pathology service that enables high standards of patient care, maintaining all regulatory accreditation whilst delivering service improvement initiatives.



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.



At Synnovis, we are currently shaping the future of pathology services by creating a world-leading Hub and Spoke pathology network with our NHS partners. A large part of this modernisation will involve moving 70% of our services to a purpose built, state of the art Hub laboratory in the heart of London. For now, the job you are applying for will be based at one of our hospital sites however, from 1 April 2024 our people and services will start to move to our Hub laboratory in Blackfriars, Southwark, SE1, with some work remaining in refurbished essential services laboratories across our hospital network, focusing on the rapid turnover of urgent tests. Please do ask your recruiting manager if you wish to find out more.

Key responsibilities of this role include:

Line manages employees, including delivering all aspects of people management, such as recruitment, performance management, absence management, learning and development, employee health and wellbeing.



Work with OSL to support long term objectives of the service including skills gap analysis, workforce development and succession planning.



Participate in the strategic development and service improvement of the analytical service, being responsible for the implementation of new techniques, equipment, and tests, including all verification and validation work.



Facilitate and highlight research, development and evaluation of new techniques in conjunction with OSL, Scientific and Clinical leads. Assess the need for additional resources and new developments, developing business cases and strategies as required.



Plan and organise the work schedules to ensure necessary cover is provided to meet turnaround times and quality objectives including organising temporary resource where necessary.



Manage out of hours rota, adjusting as necessary to ensure the continued provision of a laboratory service 24 hours a day if required.



Encourage junior employees in their scientific expertise, knowledge and professional development, including the safe use of highly complex and sensitive equipment.



Work with Training lead and ensure appropriate competency training is delivered, including supporting induction, training and competency sign-off of new employees in own area.



Facilitate the provision of technical and operational training and be responsible for ensuring specialist training is delivered to scientific and support staff and other healthcare professionals.



Provide regular updates to OSL, including submitting Operational Performance data and present at relevant meetings.



Where necessary analyse samples in line with local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) including but not limited to recording results and necessary action on the Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), ensuring all Information Governance (IG) requirements are met.



Closely support clinical staff in the interpretation, notification and follow-up of clinically significant results, and the clinical authorisation of highly complex results.



Ensure all incidents and events are correctly reported by all employees in Q-Pulse and other relevant software and support them in learning quality procedures and investigations.



In conjunction with the Quality team, monitor, report and action errors, hazards, and incidents logged in the CAPA module of Q-Pulse. This may include taking part in audits and investigations of incidents.



Oversee EQA and IQC performance and ensure corrective action has been taken.



Ensure compliance with all regulatory and quality requirements of regulatory directives, accreditation bodies, and local management including:



Care Quality Commission



UKAS



Synnovis policies and SOPs



Any other body in area of responsibility.



Develop, and regularly review relevant documents, including SOPs, COSHH and risk assessments in line with the ISO 15189 standard and where necessary propose policy and service changes.



Support in the development and implementation of Business Continuity and Serious Incidents Plans where necessary for your service line(s).



Troubleshoot and resolve technical laboratory problems and manage situations which may result in a service delivery failure, escalating anything that will impact the service continuity.



Demonstrate professionalism, patience and empathy when explaining complex subjects, and in particular when communicating with people who do not share same level of knowledge or understanding.



Maintain standards of conduct required by the HCPC to practice as a registered Biomedical Scientist.



Attend, and chair regular departmental meetings and ensure effective communication within the department and across the service line, deputising for OSL as required.



Responsible for departmental budget, including the authorisation of purchases and the reconciliation of delivery notes with purchase orders; ensure appropriate stock levels and equipment within the units are maintained within budgetary limits.



Support Synnovis commercial endeavours by providing accurate costings for laboratory procedures and commercial trials and contracts.



Take part in CPD activities to ensure that your practices and knowledge are always relevant and up to date to your specific area.



Synnovis is a pathology partnership between SYNLAB UK and Ireland, and the NHS, including sites, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver and transform pathology services across South East London.



The partnership provides services to 1.7 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.



Guy's 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: Women's Services, Foetal Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Transplantation, and is also home to the Evelina Children's Hospital and the Cancer Centre on the Guy's 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!