What does an average day look like for you?
For Diana, every day presents a unique challenge. It all depends on which bench she’s working. Some days she’s on a one-person bench, giving her the freedom to plan her own time. Other days she’s in the 6800, SWLP’s busy molecular suite housing three Cobas analysers, working alongside an associate practitioner and one or two biomedical support workers.
Whatever the bench, the day always starts the same way: checking the rota to make sure there’s enough staff to cover the workload, reviewing handover notes from the previous shift, flagging any urgent samples, and catching up on emails. If she’s in the 6800, that’s followed by a quick team huddle to divide up the day’s work and agree who’s doing what.
Before a single sample is processed, Diana runs through the QCs on every analyser, checking for issues, confirming whether an engineer is needed, and planning around any scheduled maintenance. Only then does the real work begin; verifying patient demographics, sample types and identifiers, making sure every sample is the right one for the test requested, and following up on any pending or additional tests once processing is complete.
It’s rarely straightforward. Instruments need troubleshooting, colleagues need support, and stock has to be carefully managed, especially ahead of bank holidays, when Diana has to think ahead to make sure there are enough reagents and consumables to keep things running.
“People think you just load a sample into the machine,” Diana says. “But it starts from the moment the sample arrives – is it the right temperature, has it been centrifuged, is it booked in correctly, are the QCs done. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.”
What is your favourite thing about the job?
For Diana, it’s the range of roles she gets to play — and the responsibility that comes with them. Alongside her work as a specialist BMS, she volunteers as a fire warden, carrying out fire audits, safety checks and training, and making sure evacuation records are kept up to date.
Once a month, she also joins a colleague on a full health and safety walkthrough of a different department — checking everything from chemical storage and confidential waste disposal to freezer safety locks and door closures. On a recent walkthrough of the enterics department, the pair identified a missing eye wash station and replenished first aid supplies.
More recently, Diana has become involved in the lab transformation initiative, working with colleagues across biology and practice to eliminate waste and improve workflow efficiency.
“That’s my favourite thing, the range of roles I play,” she says. “It’s really rewarding. There are lots of opportunities available, and I’m learning every day. Even though I work in the lab, it has a direct impact on patient diagnosis, treatment and care.”
Colleagues know her as someone they can always rely on. “If you ask my colleagues, they’ll say, oh, I can go and ask Diana, she knows where this stuff is, she knows the answer. I’m really grateful for that.”
Is there a moment you will always remember?
The verification of SWLP’s Roche 6800 molecular analysers stands out as a career highlight for Diana, a challenging but important piece of work that pushed the whole team, with some days stretching until 10pm to get it finished.
Working closely alongside a senior colleague throughout the process was, in her words, an experience like no other. “He has the patience to explain everything to you, from the very basic,” she says. The project gave her a deep understanding of the verification process, from the technical detail to the documentation and sign-off required from engineers and technical leads.
“It was a great knowledge-building experience,” Diana reflects. “It showed that when you’re working as a team, and you’re committed and supporting each other, everything is possible. We finished the verification well before the time we aimed to.”
How did you get into pathology?
Diana’s interest in science started young. Biology was her favourite subject at school, and she knew from early on that she wanted to study biomedical science. She completed a four-year sandwich degree at Kingston University, spending her placement year at St Helier Hospital to build up her registration portfolio.
She continued working part-time at St Helier through her final year of study. When St Helier merged with St George’s, a Band 5 position opened up, and Diana took the opportunity. She’s since progressed to Band 6.
Diana’s early years were shaped by very different circumstances. She grew up in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, during the civil war, and school became increasingly disrupted as the conflict intensified. Her family eventually relocated to South India as refugees, where she was grateful to continue her education.
Today, that journey shows in the enthusiasm she brings to work every day. “I love my job,” she says. “I don’t know how many people can say they love coming to work every day, I do.”