Medical Examiner

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

The closing date is 17 November 2024

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Job summary

Job Overview

Job Title: Medical Examiner

Division: Corporate

Care Group: Medical Director's

Band: N/A

Salary: Dependent on experience

Interview Date:

We are recruiting for a Medical Examiner who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.

Main duties of the job

The ME team consists of a lead ME and up to 11 other MEs. We are looking for 2 colleagues to provide 1 session of 4 hours each week based on a 42-week year. We particularly need cover for afternoon sessions - Mondays. You would be expected to offer sessions with a degree of flexibility to fulfil a rota. There is currently no commitment beyond office hours except for the MEs participating in the Out of hours cover for weekends and Bank holidays (optional). The job is based at University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, but elements of the work will be possible remotely using electronic systems to scrutinise patient records and telephone calls to bereaved relatives and attending medical colleagues. Competence with electronic systems is necessary to review records and complete notes. Team working is important, particularly with other Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers within the Team, Clinical teams, Coroners and Registrars. You should have up to date knowledge of medical practice and have completed the mandatory online learning by the time of interview and be in the process of registering for the face-to-face training with the College of Pathologists.

You must be currently registered with a license to practice with the GMC, have at least 5 years' experience as a fully registered medical practitioner and be currently practising or have retired in the last 5 years.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
Improving the experience of staff with disability
Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
Making equalities mainstream

Date posted

01 November 2024

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Doctor - other

Salary

£98,193 to £139,882 a year per Annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

197-AA6000

Job locations

QEH/UHL

High Street

Lewisham

SE13 6LH

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main duties

To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths.

To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol.

To discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner. It is anticipated that such discussions will be predominately conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding information may exist.

To ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.

To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office.

To participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care.

To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs.

To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate.

To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region.

To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main duties

To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths.

To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol.

To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office.

To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs.

To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate.

To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region.

To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered with a licence to practice in the UK by the GMC
As a pre-condition of practicing, an ME must have successfully completed the mandatory components of the national online medical examiner curriculum. Face-to-face training must be completed within the first three months of being in post

Knowledge, Skills and Performance

Essential

Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC.
A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
MEs should have up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes
IT skills including use of email and commonly used software.
Ability to manage and comply with sensitive information-based processes under tight timescales with a proportionate approach.
Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity

Safety and Quality - Clinical Governance

Essential

Knowledge of local and national clinical governance systems and an understanding of how the ME can work collaboratively to improve patient safety by identifying sub-optimal clinical and organisational performance.
Ability to identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge.
Ability to identify and disseminate examples of good practice amongst relevant colleagues

Communication and teamwork

Essential

Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism.
Ability to work effectively and efficiently within own team and also closely with people in other disciplines
Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions

Personal qualities and behavioural attributes

Essential

Proactive and self-motivated with a flexible working approach
Have the resilience to manage own reaction to frequently distressing situations and support others within the team.
To sustain professional integrity and independence at all times, particularly where there is the potential for a conflict of interest

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered with a licence to practice in the UK by the GMC
As a pre-condition of practicing, an ME must have successfully completed the mandatory components of the national online medical examiner curriculum. Face-to-face training must be completed within the first three months of being in post

Knowledge, Skills and Performance

Essential

Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC.
A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
MEs should have up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes
IT skills including use of email and commonly used software.
Ability to manage and comply with sensitive information-based processes under tight timescales with a proportionate approach.
Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity

Safety and Quality - Clinical Governance

Essential

Knowledge of local and national clinical governance systems and an understanding of how the ME can work collaboratively to improve patient safety by identifying sub-optimal clinical and organisational performance.
Ability to identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge.
Ability to identify and disseminate examples of good practice amongst relevant colleagues

Communication and teamwork

Essential

Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism.
Ability to work effectively and efficiently within own team and also closely with people in other disciplines
Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions

Personal qualities and behavioural attributes

Essential

Proactive and self-motivated with a flexible working approach
Have the resilience to manage own reaction to frequently distressing situations and support others within the team.
To sustain professional integrity and independence at all times, particularly where there is the potential for a conflict of interest

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).