Job summary
The Mortuary and Bereavement Service consists of APTs, both qualified and trainees, Bereavement Officers, Mortuary Assistants and administrative staff, working closely with Consultant and Junior Histopathologists from Cellular Pathology.
This department sits within the Directorate of Haematology, Cellular Pathology and Supporting Services.. The Cellular Pathology laboratories and its scientific staff are managed independently by GSTS Pathology (Synnovis).
There are two mortuaries, one at Guy's and another at St Thomas' Hospital. St Thomas' acts as the main mortuary and is the site for all post-mortem examinations and related activity.
The Mortuary and Bereavement Service at Guy's and St Thomas' handles 1,200+ inpatient deaths per year, for which about 20% have post mortem examinations.
The Mortuary at St Thomas' is situated on the lower ground floor of the North Wing and the Guy's Mortuary is situated at Talbot Yard.
The Mortuary at St Thomas' is a large referral centre for specialist post mortem examinations, receiving an additional 1,000 approx. patients per year from several HM Coroner's jurisdictions and several other NHS establishments. We specialise in post mortem perinatal and paediatric pathology (including forensics), neuropathology, maternal deaths, post-operative deaths, sickle cell related deaths and infectious diseases.
Main duties of the job
As an assistant in the Mortuary & Bereavement service, the post holder is expected to work as part of a team within all specialties of the Mortuary (except post mortem examinations and patient reconstruction) and to rotate between both of our sites. They will be required to carry delegated tasks to a high standard, offering invaluable support to the APTs, Bereavement Officers and other service users.
About us
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We are among the UK's busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.
We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and - as part of King's Health Partners - we are one of England's eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research's biomedical research centres, established with King's College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.
Job description
Job responsibilities
General
To assist the mortuary staff in provision of a hygienic and efficient mortuary service.
- Assist in preliminary work leading to a post mortem examination of the deceased, e.g. preparation of the post mortem room and ensuring the correct equipment is prepared.
Assist with cleaning and disinfecting all areas of the mortuary (including refrigeration units).
To assist with deceased patient viewings.
To assist in the processes and administration of relevant documentation.
To facilitate the imaging (X-rays, CTs) of paediatric patients in the Evelina Childrens Hospital
To receive deceased patients in to the Mortuary
To release deceased patients from the Mortuary
To keep accurate records of jewellery or valuables that may accompany patients.
Liaise with H.M Coroners Officers, Police, hospital staff, bereaved relatives and other appropriate sources.
The post holder must maintain a flexible approach to the post in order to rapidly manage changes to workload, patterns and requirements.
To advise senor staff when stock levels of chemicals and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.
To support with reasonable requests by more senior staff
To attend the Guys Mortuary on a daily basis to care for the patients and attend to funeral directors and doctors.
To assist with the processing of digital images after post mortem.
To process the paperwork accompanying samples to be ready for delivery
To deliver specimens to the correct laboratories in a timely fashion.
To attend departmental meetings as required
To adhere to all regulations set out by the Human Tissue Authority and to inform the line manager of any observed breaches in licensed activities.
Communications
- Telephone and email communication with both internal and external stakeholders such as funeral directors, officers of HM Coroner, pathologists, nurses, Police officers and bereaved relatives and friends of the deceased
IT and information resources
- To adhere to local and national policies for the safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patients
- To use the Mortuary and Bereavement Microsoft Eden software according to the authorised protocols
- To maintain the integrity and accuracy of written and computerised records and databases.
- To use the Mortuary and Bereavement Microsoft Eden software to accurately track patients and their property.
Job description
Job responsibilities
General
To assist the mortuary staff in provision of a hygienic and efficient mortuary service.
- Assist in preliminary work leading to a post mortem examination of the deceased, e.g. preparation of the post mortem room and ensuring the correct equipment is prepared.
Assist with cleaning and disinfecting all areas of the mortuary (including refrigeration units).
To assist with deceased patient viewings.
To assist in the processes and administration of relevant documentation.
To facilitate the imaging (X-rays, CTs) of paediatric patients in the Evelina Childrens Hospital
To receive deceased patients in to the Mortuary
To release deceased patients from the Mortuary
To keep accurate records of jewellery or valuables that may accompany patients.
Liaise with H.M Coroners Officers, Police, hospital staff, bereaved relatives and other appropriate sources.
The post holder must maintain a flexible approach to the post in order to rapidly manage changes to workload, patterns and requirements.
To advise senor staff when stock levels of chemicals and consumables are approaching minimum stock levels.
To support with reasonable requests by more senior staff
To attend the Guys Mortuary on a daily basis to care for the patients and attend to funeral directors and doctors.
To assist with the processing of digital images after post mortem.
To process the paperwork accompanying samples to be ready for delivery
To deliver specimens to the correct laboratories in a timely fashion.
To attend departmental meetings as required
To adhere to all regulations set out by the Human Tissue Authority and to inform the line manager of any observed breaches in licensed activities.
Communications
- Telephone and email communication with both internal and external stakeholders such as funeral directors, officers of HM Coroner, pathologists, nurses, Police officers and bereaved relatives and friends of the deceased
IT and information resources
- To adhere to local and national policies for the safe, secure and confidential processing and storage of patients
- To use the Mortuary and Bereavement Microsoft Eden software according to the authorised protocols
- To maintain the integrity and accuracy of written and computerised records and databases.
- To use the Mortuary and Bereavement Microsoft Eden software to accurately track patients and their property.
Person Specification
Qualifications/Education
Essential
- 5 GCSE qualifications, A*-C or equivalent
Desirable
- Commitment to continuing professional development
- Familiarity of the AAPT
Previous experience
Desirable
- Experience of working with deceased patients
- Experience of working in a hospital or laboratory environment
- Experience of working with bereaved relatives
Skills/Knowledge/Ability
Essential
- Computer Literate
- Familiarity with common Microsoft Office software
- Ability to adopt a professional approach with distressing situations
- Ability to adopt a sympathetic approach to patients and relatives
- Ability to adopt a professional approach with distressing images
- Ability to adopt a professional approach with exposure to unpleasant working conditions
- Ability to concentrate in a busy and noisy environment
- Good communication skills both written and oral
- High degree of numeracy
- Good interpersonal and team working skills
- Ability to adapt efficiently to changing work patterns and situations
- Ability to adapt a professional approach towards doctors, health care workers and other users of the mortuary services
- Organisation and planning skills
Physical Requirements
Essential
- The ability to carry out moderate lifting on a daily basis in line with Manual Handling policies
Person Specification
Qualifications/Education
Essential
- 5 GCSE qualifications, A*-C or equivalent
Desirable
- Commitment to continuing professional development
- Familiarity of the AAPT
Previous experience
Desirable
- Experience of working with deceased patients
- Experience of working in a hospital or laboratory environment
- Experience of working with bereaved relatives
Skills/Knowledge/Ability
Essential
- Computer Literate
- Familiarity with common Microsoft Office software
- Ability to adopt a professional approach with distressing situations
- Ability to adopt a sympathetic approach to patients and relatives
- Ability to adopt a professional approach with distressing images
- Ability to adopt a professional approach with exposure to unpleasant working conditions
- Ability to concentrate in a busy and noisy environment
- Good communication skills both written and oral
- High degree of numeracy
- Good interpersonal and team working skills
- Ability to adapt efficiently to changing work patterns and situations
- Ability to adapt a professional approach towards doctors, health care workers and other users of the mortuary services
- Organisation and planning skills
Physical Requirements
Essential
- The ability to carry out moderate lifting on a daily basis in line with Manual Handling policies
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
