IM&T Specialist

Posting date:	21 January 2026
Salary:	£47,810.00 to £54,710.00 per year
Additional salary information:	£47810.00 - £54710.00 a year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	04 February 2026
Location:	Gateshead, NE9 6SX
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	C9297-26-0049

Summary

Communications & Relationship skills To work closely with staff at all levels within the SoTW Pathology Services, Acute Trusts and Primary Care across the South of Tyne and Wear areas, independent contractors and other suppliers To liaise with departmental managers for the provision of workload data Able to communicate and present complex information to differing audience levels, including non-technical audiences in a form which is appropriate and readily understandable To provide instruction and advise staff on day-to-day technical issues, including the ability to train non-technical users on complex processes Ability to persuade, encourage and harness the skills and knowledge of stakeholders at all levels To ensure technical and clinical needs are accommodated by the various IT systems To feedback to senior technical and clinical staff any salient issues relating to IT matters Ability to present and discuss highly complex IM&T related issues at departmental meetings or with personnel external to the Trust such as primary care partners to ensure an understanding of new ways of working Knowledge, Training & Experience Highly developed specialist knowledge, underpinned by theory and experience. In-depth knowledge of IM&T systems and procedures acquired through a combination of highly specialist training or relevant study to degree or equivalent level Must have significant number of years experience of management of IM&T related services with extensive knowledge of NHS data standards and business processes Experience of server operating systems Microsoft Server administration knowledge Analytical & Judgemental Skills Requires the ability to analyse and resolve complex IM&T problems that demand significant attention to detail, for example when operating system errors require analysis to determine the correct resolution To be able to analyse workflow patterns and highlight areas of issue to departmental managers and to manage the production, automation and provision of regular monitoring reports To investigate new efficient IM&T working systems to minimise the potential of error To be able to use the SQL Server and other command languages to interrogate the Pathology IT systems To be able to extract and analyse highly complex information then be able to present the results in an understandable format for use by Trust personnel To develop SQL Server and PowerBI as required to progress the automation of information management processes To develop new approaches to the extraction, access and presentation of information and statistical analysis of Pathology data, for example the utilisation of SPC (Statistical Process Control) modelling to highlight workload trends Planning & Organisational Skills Responsible for ensuring the day-to-day management of the IT systems within Pathology Monitoring the quality of information produced to ensure requestors receive results in a timely manner To liaise with the Pathology IM&T Manager on the options for the future IT development strategies Plan for system maintenance and upgrades to the main systems to ensure minimum disruption to both Pathology and its users To liaise with the Trusts head of IM&T on future strategies which may have an impact on other areas within the Trust, e.g. order communications Plan for the introduction of new procedures/technologies/policies in the department to ensure a smooth transition and efficient use of resources Plan specialist projects which could impact upon clinical areas across the Trust or primary care partners e.g. planning, delivery and/or training of a new system Physical Skills Requires advanced keyboard skills to manipulate complex data accurately at speed Data manipulation skill using a structured query methodology such as SQL or similar query language Ability to carry out repairs to Pathology based IM&T hardware as and when required Responsibility for Patient/Client Care Contact with patients is incidental To ensure provision of clinical technical services through appropriate IT functionality To ensure results of patients are set against the correct patients results file and are accessed by only authorised personnel as appropriate Responsibility for Policy & Service Development To design and write standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to ensure these methods are adhered to within Pathology and review of these SOPs as required Ensure that appropriate quality standards are maintained to retain UKAS Accreditation compliance Develop and implement departmental IM&T procedures To liaise with primary care partners over potential changes to the services provided To advise the Pathology IM&T Manager on national and regional policy and the needs arising Responsibility for Financial & Physical Resources Responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day running and maintenance of the main Pathology computer systems Responsible for the recommendation, procurement and maintenance of all related IT equipment and supplies (£30k+) Responsible for the creation and submission of IT related business cases for Pathology Responsibility for Human Resources To identify IT training and developmental needs within Pathology To train authorised clinical staff at ward level throughout the Trust to use the order communications system for reviewing patient results Deliver training on a range of IM&T subjects within Pathology and to users of the service To train and assess competency of staff to merge patient records and to decide who is given access rights for patient merging Responsibility for Information Resources To be primarily responsible for the management, maintenance and development of the main Pathology IT systems, Q-Pulse quality management system, digital dictation system and workload activity systems used by the SoTW Pathology Services Responsible for the management of the GP electronic results transfer system To share information with others, ensuring information is handled in a secure manner protecting the confidentiality of any personal data held and meeting the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, Caldicott, Information Governance and any other relevant legislation Ability to deliver consistently high standards in data reliability and information analysis To oversee the quality of computerised records in the two services so that accurate and timely information is available to all staff To liaise with the departmental IT representatives/managers/clinicians in developments for reporting systems and to feedback suggestions for improvement in IT Able to collate and present statistical analysis and information to assist in the performance management of the two services or to provide research data as and when required, ensuring that data analysis is undertaken in an accurate and timely manner Responsibility for Research & Development Testing of IM&T solutions proposed for use within the departments, including software applications and hardware To research innovative health informatics solutions to help improve departmental efficiency and to aid in the streamlining of processes, including research and development of IT systems to allow a paper reduced way of working To collect and provide research/audit data as required Freedom to Act The post holder is seen as the lead specialist for Pathology related IM&T issues when it comes to supporting other services either within the Trust(s) or the local health community The outcomes of the role are defined but the post holder can decide how they are best achieved, this may be through guidance provided by an external source, for example by liaising with members of the Trusts Information Service department or the Trusts head of IM&T The role requires a flexible approach in order to respond to changes and new demands and the post holder is expected to take a proactive approach to his/her own development to ensure a consistently relevant set of competence, knowledge and experience Takes responsibility for his/her own decisions and for setting guidelines for others