Medical Examiner

Job summary

Applications are encouraged from both Consultants and General Practitioners.

The overriding purpose is to support the provision of the highest quality patient care through personal actions and continuous improvement.

Medical Examiners (MEs) are appropriately trained doctors who will verify clinical information on Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs) and ensure that the right referrals are made to the coroner for further investigation. A practising medical practitioner who has been on the general medical council register for a minimum of five years post registration can apply to be a medical examiner.

It is recommended that medical examiners are consultant grade doctors from a range of disciplines. MEs will take a consistent approach to the formulation of MCCD content, which must be clinically accurate and reflect any discussions with the next of kin/informant. MEs must not have been involved in the care of the deceased patients for deaths they scrutinise.

Main duties of the job

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.

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

Discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner.

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.

Maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiner's office.

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

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

Work with medical examiner officer(s), delegating duties as appropriate.

Engage with the National Medical Examiner and lead Medical Examiner for the region.

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

About us

We arean award-winning NHS Foundation Trust providing acute and community healthcare services for 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark, Sherwood and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. We are working closely with partners in health and social care through the Mid Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Partnership to take collective responsibility for managing resources, delivering NHS standards, andimprovingthe health of the population we serve.

We put the patient at the centre of everything that we do, and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically led organisation.

We are truly proud to be the HSJ Trust of the Year for 2020, and of our CQC ratings.