Medical Laboratory Assistant - Sample Reception
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS TrustCosham, PO6 3LY, South East
Overview
This is a NHS role (permanent) with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust based in Cosham, PO6 3LY. The advertised salary is £25,272. Applications close on 8 September 2026. GovJobs has indexed this vacancy from its official source — use the apply button to view the full advert and apply directly.
Job description
Band 2: £25,272 pro rata per annum.
Hours: Full time and Part time available.
Contract: Permanent.
Do you have great customer service skills and willing to go the extra mile? Are you friendly and able to work as part of a team? If the answer is yes, then we would love to hear from you.
We are looking for a motivated and organised Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) to support our busy Blood Sciences laboratory. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong administrative and data-entry skills who enjoys working in a healthcare environment and wants to play a vital role in patient care. Our unit operates between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Each shift is typically 7.5 hours, and while we usually have set schedules, there may be opportunities to work a variety of hours to keep things flexible and meet the needs of the team.
As an MLA, you will be responsible for receiving and processing patient samples, maintaining laboratory records, supporting laboratory operations, and ensuring high standards of quality, safety, and customer service.
Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.
Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.
- Receiving patient samples and request forms in line with laboratory procedures.
- Entering patient requests and data accurately into laboratory information systems.
- Monitoring and maintaining laboratory equipment such as centrifuges, refrigerators, and freezers.
- Performing basic laboratory techniques and supporting analyser maintenance and reagent preparation.
- Managing laboratory consumables and processing deliveries.
- Storing, retrieving, and disposing of samples safely and correctly.
- Responding to telephone and face-to-face enquiries professionally and courteously.
- Filing, scanning, and maintaining laboratory records.
- Completing laboratory documentation accurately and on time.
- Supporting the laboratory team in delivering an efficient and effective service.
- Following all health and safety, infection control, and waste disposal procedures.
- Maintaining Blood Sciences quality standards and participating in training and development activities.
Apply Now
If you are organised, reliable, and committed to delivering excellent service in a healthcare setting, wed love to hear from you.
Weekend and public holiday shifts are also included in this role and are worked on a rota basis.
All positions are afternoon/evening shift patterns
For further information about the role please refer to the Job Description
- Receiving patient samples and request forms in line with laboratory procedures.
- Entering patient requests and data accurately into laboratory information systems.
- Monitoring and maintaining laboratory equipment such as centrifuges, refrigerators, and freezers.
- Performing basic laboratory techniques and supporting analyser maintenance and reagent preparation.
- Managing laboratory consumables and processing deliveries.
- Storing, retrieving, and disposing of samples safely and correctly.
- Responding to telephone and face-to-face enquiries professionally and courteously.
- Filing, scanning, and maintaining laboratory records.
- Completing laboratory documentation accurately and on time.
- Supporting the laboratory team in delivering an efficient and effective service.
- Following all health and safety, infection control, and waste disposal procedures.
- Maintaining Blood Sciences quality standards and participating in training and development activities.
Apply Now
If you are organised, reliable, and committed to delivering excellent service in a healthcare setting, wed love to hear from you.
Weekend and public holiday shifts are also included in this role and are worked on a rota basis.
All positions are afternoon/evening shift patterns
For further information about the role please refer to the Job Description
- Science GCSE desirable (grade A* to C or 4 to 9).
- Science or keyboard related qualification.
- Experience with electronic handling of data.
- Fluent and accurate keyboard skills.
- Previous laboratory or administrative experience.
- Science GCSE desirable (grade A* to C or 4 to 9).
- Science or keyboard related qualification.
- Experience with electronic handling of data.
- Fluent and accurate keyboard skills.
- Previous laboratory or administrative experience.
Employer name
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Address
Queen Alexandra Hospital
Southwick Hill Road
Cosham
PO6 3LY
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.porthosp.nhs.uk/work-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer name
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Address
Queen Alexandra Hospital
Southwick Hill Road
Cosham
PO6 3LY
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.porthosp.nhs.uk/work-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)
How this role compares
We hold 445 NHS vacancies in South East that publish a salary, and their median advertised starting figure is £39,959. This role pays less than about 98% of them.
There are 3,997 NHS roles open across the UK on GovJobs right now, 614 of them in South East.
You have 9 days left to apply. NHS adverts we hold typically run for around 13 days, so this is about the usual amount of time.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has 6 other vacancies open on GovJobs, with a breakdown of what they pay and the kinds of roles they recruit for.
These figures are calculated from the vacancies GovJobs currently holds, not from official pay statistics. They are a guide to the market, not a valuation of this post.
How to apply
GovJobs does not take applications or send your details to the employer. Use the apply button to open the official Nhs Jobs advert, then check the employer's instructions, attachments, person specification and closing time before applying.
This listing was last checked on 27 Aug 2026, 01:00. If the official advert has changed or closed, report it and we will review the listing.
Why this listing is on GovJobs
GovJobs indexes public-sector vacancies from official sources, normalises the title, employer, location, salary and deadline, and links back to the source so you can verify the advert yourself.
The source for this role is Nhs Jobs. Applications stay on the official employer or source website, not on GovJobs.