Job summary
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) created the Medical Examiner service in response to the Shipman Inquiry. Medical examiners provide independent scrutiny of the causes of death in cases not investigated by a coroner. Since 9thSeptember 2024 it has been a statutory requirement for all non-coronial deaths to be scrutinised by a medical examiner.
We require a medical examiner to work an office-based 4-hour session on Monday or Tuesday and Friday afternoons (2 posts), usually based at Hull Royal Infirmary with the occasional requirement to work at Castle Hill Hospital.
Main duties of the job
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust hosts the Medical Examiner Office for Hull and East Yorkshire. Current staffing comprises 1.8 WTE medical examiners and 5.2 WTE medical examiner officers. Relationships with local GPs, mental health facilities, private care sector and the hospice are all in place.
Applicants must have capacity within their working week to accommodate a weekly, fixed four hour session in the medical examiner office.
The medical examiner service is required to provide out of hours weekend cover for early release of the deceased and organ donation. The requirement in Hull and East Yorkshire is low, usually limited to remote cover on Saturday mornings for 2 hours with office attendance rare. Your contract will include on-call cover on occasional Saturday mornings for 2 hours.
About us
The Humber Health Partnership is one of the largest acute and community Partnership arrangements in the NHS, seeing well over one million patients every year and managing a budget of over £1.3 billion.
Made up of two Trusts - Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) - our Partnership has significant ambitions and is committed to delivering world-class hospital and community services for the 1.65 million people we serve.
Together we employ nearly 20,000 staff. Our five main hospital sites are Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Scunthorpe General Hospital and Goole and District Hospital, for NLAG and Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital for HUTH.
As Teaching Hospitals working with the Hull York Medical School, we both lead and contribute to research in many areas - biomedical research, primary care, palliative medicine, cardiovascular and respiratory medicine, vascular surgery, cancer surgery and oncology.
We believe that by developing a diverse, inclusive, innovative, skilled and caring workforce, we can deliver excellent care to our patients and a great future for our employees, our Partnership and our community.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Applications are encouraged from general practitioners and senior doctors of all specialties with GMC Registration and a Licence to Practice for at least 5 years.
Duties will include reviewing the notes of deceased patients, discussing cases with clinical teams and coroners service, identifying cases for more detailed review, liaising with the bereaved and training health care professionals in death certification processes.
Your employer will be Hull University Hospitals NHS Trust. Salary will be on the consultant pay scale, calculated according to your previous experience.
Please see attached Job Description for more information
Job description
Job responsibilities
Applications are encouraged from general practitioners and senior doctors of all specialties with GMC Registration and a Licence to Practice for at least 5 years.
Duties will include reviewing the notes of deceased patients, discussing cases with clinical teams and coroners service, identifying cases for more detailed review, liaising with the bereaved and training health care professionals in death certification processes.
Your employer will be Hull University Hospitals NHS Trust. Salary will be on the consultant pay scale, calculated according to your previous experience.
Please see attached Job Description for more information
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GMC Registration with a Licence to Practice for at least 5 years
- oGood understanding of role and duties of medical examiner/ medical examiner service
- oCapacity within working week to accommodate a weekly, fixed four-hour session in the medical examiner office.
- oHave a plan to complete the face to face component of the Medical Examiner Curriculum on appointment
Desirable
- oAt least partial completion of the national on-line Medical Examiner curriculum
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Up to date knowledge of medical conditions and treatments
- Detailed knowledge of relevant legislation and processes which apply to the determination of death
- oThe determination of whether a death is natural or unnatural
- oDeaths that must be reported to the coroner
- oDeaths abroad where bodies are returned to England and Wales for disposal
- oDeaths where relatives wish to transport the body abroad for disposal
- oCertifying and registering deaths and the regulations to authorise cremation or burials of stillbirths abroad.
- oKnowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity
Skills and Ability
Essential
- oAble to exercise judgement about when to seek specialist advice
- oBe aware of, and be able to adapt, own personal communication style to suit a variety of situations and audiences.
- oHighly evolved self-awareness and empathetic skills to liaise effectively and sympathetically with bereaved families
- oAble to demonstrate and combine appropriate levels of compassion with professionalism and discretion
- oOpen to constructive criticism, ideas and solutions
Other Requirements
Essential
- oAct as a positive role model, interacting appropriately with all stakeholders including medical examiner officers, other medical examiners, the bereaved and the coroner
- oPersonal integrity to gain trust and comply with the independent nature of the medical examiner role in the context of other clinical specialty duties.
- oHave good IT skills including use of databases, spreadsheets, electronic patient records, email, and commonly used software.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GMC Registration with a Licence to Practice for at least 5 years
- oGood understanding of role and duties of medical examiner/ medical examiner service
- oCapacity within working week to accommodate a weekly, fixed four-hour session in the medical examiner office.
- oHave a plan to complete the face to face component of the Medical Examiner Curriculum on appointment
Desirable
- oAt least partial completion of the national on-line Medical Examiner curriculum
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Up to date knowledge of medical conditions and treatments
- Detailed knowledge of relevant legislation and processes which apply to the determination of death
- oThe determination of whether a death is natural or unnatural
- oDeaths that must be reported to the coroner
- oDeaths abroad where bodies are returned to England and Wales for disposal
- oDeaths where relatives wish to transport the body abroad for disposal
- oCertifying and registering deaths and the regulations to authorise cremation or burials of stillbirths abroad.
- oKnowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity
Skills and Ability
Essential
- oAble to exercise judgement about when to seek specialist advice
- oBe aware of, and be able to adapt, own personal communication style to suit a variety of situations and audiences.
- oHighly evolved self-awareness and empathetic skills to liaise effectively and sympathetically with bereaved families
- oAble to demonstrate and combine appropriate levels of compassion with professionalism and discretion
- oOpen to constructive criticism, ideas and solutions
Other Requirements
Essential
- oAct as a positive role model, interacting appropriately with all stakeholders including medical examiner officers, other medical examiners, the bereaved and the coroner
- oPersonal integrity to gain trust and comply with the independent nature of the medical examiner role in the context of other clinical specialty duties.
- oHave good IT skills including use of databases, spreadsheets, electronic patient records, email, and commonly used software.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
