• Participate in implementing a clinical laboratory service that supports the clinical needs of the patients
• Participate in the implementation of operational processes to the standards of ‘best practice’, in order to optimise use of resources
• Participate in the implementation of a ‘quality management’ programme which is patient centred and which measures and audits performance and client satisfaction
• Staff Review: Achievement of laboratory and personal objectives is facilitated by staff reviews.
• Reports to: Laboratory Manager

There is currently one permanent whole-time vacancy available in Cavan Monaghan Hospital.

A panel may be formed as a result of this campaign from which current and future, permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full or part-time duration may be filled.

Informal Enquries

Email: brianj.omalley@hse.ie
Office: +353 49 437 6292
Mobile: +353 86 678 2788
 

Salary Scale as of 1/03/23

€68,396, €71,449, €74,135, €75,669, €78,432, €81,159, €83,958, €86,669, €89,399

The RCSI Hospital Group includes the following hospitals;

•  Beaumont Hospital
• Cavan General Hospital
• Connolly Hospital
• Louth County Hospital
• Monaghan General Hospital
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
• Rotunda Hospital

 The Academic Partner for the Group is the RCSI. RCSI Hospital Group provides a national service and a regional service to Dublin and the North East and is committed to the provision of world-class care, exceptional clinical services with respect and compassion.

Cavan & Monaghan Hospital’s Catchment Population of over 120,000 covering Counties Cavan & Monaghan, and parts of Counties Longford, Leitrim, and Meath. Cavan Monaghan Hospital is part of the RCSI Hospitals Group, which covers a population in excess of 800,000.

Cavan & Monaghan Hospital provides a range of acute medical, surgical, obstetric, and gynaecological, paediatric services, day care, outpatient, diagnostic, and support services.  Emergency services are provided on a 365-day, 24-hour basis.  Multi-disciplinary teams’ representative of medical, nursing/midwifery, health and social care professionals, management administration and general support staff play a pivotal role in the development, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of these services. 

Cavan General Hospital has a total in-patient bed complement of 255- and 102-day beds.  Monaghan Hospital has a total of 31 in-patient beds inclusive of step-down and rehabilitation and 23-day beds. The total staff HSE complement is approximately 1050 in Cavan General Hospital and 100 in Monaghan Hospital. 

The Chief Medical Scientist in Biochemistry will:

Scientific / Professional

• Oversee the delivery of a high-quality service to the patient that is adherent to and compliant with all applicable standards and statutes, including ISO15189:2012
• Engage in and support development initiatives and research activities that serve to update and expand technologies, explore new and innovative methodologies, and continually improve and modernise the offering to the patient
• Be responsible for the daily operation and performance of the service, ensuring internal and external measures of quality are in place to monitor the success of the offering / through audit
• Cooperate with the Laboratory Manager, Consultants, other Department leads, and Service Users within a broader laboratory and hospital environment to ensure the service provided matches user requirements and supports the clinical needs of the patient
• Work with clinical, scientific and other colleagues to generate, update and sustain a vision for the service and to formulate strategy

Staff Management

• Line Manage scientific staff within the department, with associated documentary and supervisory obligations, and provide for succession planning
• Provide supervision and guidance to other grades as required (e.g. clerical, domestic)
• Oversee that out-of-hours services are staffed appropriately; participate in the out-of-hours service if required
• Participate in the recruitment, selection and promotion of staff
• Provide for staff development through; formal staff reviews; ensuring training and competency by facilitating arrangements for training of staff, under-graduates, and post-graduates and actively promoting Continuous Professional Development
• Ensure staff who must be registered with CORU are so registered and support activities that enable staff compliance with such registration
• Ensure a channel of communication between Senior Management and laboratory staff to promote an open and well-informed workplace
• Participate in the formulation of relevant personnel policies and procedures and deal with human resource issues, in association with the Human Resources Department

 Risk Management

• Adequately identify, assess, manage and monitor risks within area of responsibility
• Ensure all processes are risk assessed in accordance with the National Health and Safety Function and manage those risks, mitigating where possible or escalating if necessary
• Make necessary preparations to foresee service failures and plan contingency measures accordingly (such as those required by surges in service demand, power outages, problems with the computer systems, analyser downtime, implementing the Major Emergency Plan etc.)
• Handle feedback relating to the service as required, including responding appropriately to advisory notices from regulatory authorities

Safety, Health & Welfare at Work

• Provide a safe working environment that is compliant with relevant Health and Safety legislation and with the Hospital Safety Statement, where staff are empowered  to deliver the required service to the best of their ability
• Provide a working environment that stimulates and motivates staff and attracts and retains the best people
• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role
• Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service

 Education & Training

• Conduct oneself professionally and within the bounds of professional practice (ref CORU)
• Participate in mandatory training programmes and other training as required to keep up to date with developments
• Take responsibility for and keep up to date with current practice by participating in continuing professional development
• Maintain up-to-date personal training / retraining records in accordance with laboratory policy

Financial & Administrative

• Be accountable to the organisation and the public for delivery of a high quality, cost-effective service, working within approved pay and non-pay budgets, identifying and setting in place controls to contain any breaches of those budgets
• Identify and communicate resource requirements in the event of altered service demand
• Ensure that financial, human and IT resources are deployed appropriately and utilised effectively to support the clinical service to the patients
• Adhere to best practice in the management of stock, procurement of equipment, audit and stocktake, and all matters pertaining to the National Financial Regulations
• Represent the Department in meetings, reports, scientific papers, presentations, negotiations, etc. as required and provide data in response to requests
• Work with clinical colleagues, laboratory management, staff and patient representatives to develop a vision for the service and deliver that vision through strategic planning and project management
• Co-operate fully with the implementation of new procedures, technologies and IT systems
• To act as spokesperson for the Organisation as required
• Demonstrate pro-active commitment to all communications with internal and external stakeholders

 The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him / her from time to time, and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.  

1. Statutory Registration, Professional Qualifications, Experience, etc.

(a) Candidates for appointment must:

Be registered, or be eligible for registration, on the Medical Scientists Register maintained by the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU.

                                                              And

Possess one of the following NFQ Level 9 post graduate qualifications or equivalent qualification at minimum Level 9 validated by the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine;

• MSc Clinical Laboratory Science, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).
• MSc Clinical Laboratory Science, Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin).
• MSc Clinical Chemistry, University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD).
• MSc Biomedical Science, University of Ulster (UU)
• MSc Biomedical Science, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)/University College Cork (UCC).
• MSc Biomedical Science, Munster Technological University (MTU)/University College Cork (UCC).
• MSc Molecular Pathology, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)/University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD).

                                                               Or

An equivalent qualification at minimum Level 9 validated by the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine (ACSLM)

                                                               Or

Possess Fellowship of the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine awarded before July 2018.

                                                               Or

Have attained the Fellowship examination of the Institute of Biomedical Science (Awarded prior to 1999).

                                                              And

Possess at least seven years full time clinical experience (or an aggregate of seven years full time clinical experience) as a medical scientist in a clinical diagnostic laboratory since qualifying as a medical scientist, two years of which were spent in a promotional post (e.g. Medical Scientist, Senior or Medical Scientist, Specialist).

                                                             And

Demonstrate evidence of Continuous Professional Development.

                                                             And

Candidates must have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability, management, leadership and professional ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.

                                                             And

Provide proof of Statutory Registration on the Medical Scientists Register maintained by the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU before a contract of employment can be issued.

2. Annual registration

(i) On appointment, practitioners must maintain annual registration on Medical Scientists Register maintained by the Medical Scientists Registration Board at CORU

                                                            And

(ii) Practitioners must confirm annual registration with CORU to the HSE by way of the annual Patient Safety Assurance Certificate (PSAC).

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Technical & Professional Knowledge

Has a command over the technical/ professional skills and knowledge required within the job holder’s role and continues to upskill to maintain high professional standards and continuous professional development requirements.

Leadership and Management

Manages performance to deliver team goals; demonstrates accountability for leading, directing, monitoring, and evaluating RCSI Hospital Group services. Creates a climate in which people want to do their best. Promotes confidence and positive attitude; influences others to follow a common goal.

Project Management

Applies disciplines of planning, organising, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of a specific project; applies a project management approach to the delivery of activities and plans.

Commitment to Quality & Risk Management

The ability to focus on understanding stakeholder’s needs and expectations and to respond effectively and efficiently to them. Has a good knowledge of and is committed to offer a quality service through the achievement of goals, accreditation standards, other organisation/department standards and risk management frameworks and guidelines.

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Identifies and solves problems by understanding the situation, seeking additional information, developing, and weighing alternatives, and choosing the most appropriate course of action given the circumstances

Communication & Interpersonal Skills

Speaks and writes clearly, fluently, and effectively to both individuals and groups; communicates in a manner that will persuade, convince, and influence others, to motivate, inspire or encourage them to follow a particular course of action.