Mortuary Medical Laboratory Assistant
| Posting date: | 18 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £24,937.00 to £26,598.00 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £24937.00 - £26598.00 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 April 2026 |
| Location: | Durham, DH1 5TW |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | C9439-2526-1648 |
Summary
Please see the attached job description and personal specification for full details. This Mortuary Medical Laboratory Assistant role (MLA) involves working closely with Pathologists, Anatomical Pathology Technicians, Biomedical Scientists, Associate Practitioners and Medical Laboratory Assistants. They follow the laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and complete the relevant quality documentation as required. Upon completion of training and gaining competency, they will rotate throughout the specialist areas of the laboratory and mortuary. They perform duties in accordance to local policy to a high degree of standards whilst conforming to health and safety requirements. This includes working in the body store, and viewing room of the mortuary and histology specimen reception, MDT preparation and dissection support. They used a variety of specialist laboratory equipment to perform tasks and are responsible for the maintenance of equipment and completing maintenance documentation. This also includes temperature, xylene and formalin monitoring. The role requires handling of body fluids and human tissue samples which can be of a sensitive nature. Work within the mortuary can often be upsetting. Manual handling is required daily. Stock is managed by all staff. This includes monitoring stock levels of consumables, signing for deliveries, receipting goods delivered, unpacking, verifying if appropriate and ensuring paperwork is complete before placing in appropriate storage area in an orderly organised manner. Generally the MLA staff assist with tasks in the laboratory and mortuary in which they have been trained and are within their scope of practice. In order to perform their daily tasks effectively, an MLA requires the ability to focus for long periods of time, have great attention to detail and possess the ability to organise tasks in priority order. An MLA also requires computer literacy skills as they are expected to use spreadsheets, access LIMS and perform audits as needed.