Job summary
To support medical examiners in their role in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. To be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals and coroner and registration services.
Main duties of the job
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a medical examiners' officer to join the medical examiner service within the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This is part of the national implementation of the medical examiner system in England and Wales.
The overarching purpose of the medical examiner system is to:
- provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring proper scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths
- ensure the appropriate direction of deaths to the coroner
- provide a better service for the bereaved and an opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a doctor not involved in the care of the deceased
- improve the quality of death certification
- improve the quality of mortality data.
The role will involve not only working closely with the Medical Examiners in the independent scrutiny of deaths, but also in collaboration with the Bereavement Office team.This role will incorporate administrative skills in ensuring necessary paperwork is accurate and complete, but also excellent communication skills in liaison with the multidisciplinary team, families, doctors and where required the Patient Safety, Legal or Complaints teams. Part of the day to day work will also involve investigation work and perusal of patient notes.
About us
The Trust's mission is "Together We Care" which encompasses the strategic vision for operating as a high performing organisation within an Integrated Care System (ICS), which provides quality, safe and effective care. This will be achieved in a financially sustainable way through our values-driven, skilled and motivated workforce:
People-centred- Serving people is the focus of everything we do;
Positive- having a "can do" response whatever the situation;
Compassion- always demonstrating we care;
Excellence- continually striving to provide the best care possible.
Our Values are drivers for the behaviours that all our staff strive to demonstrate.
The values and behaviours have been and continue to be embedded and communicated across the organisation via a number of initiatives - including our recruitment processes, corporate induction, team briefings, meetings, appraisals and our annual awards ceremony.
We recommend that all individuals employed in patient facing roles, or those located on a ward or department where patients receive a service should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for full details.
To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish any concerns relating to a patients death. Work with Medical Examiners (ME) to aid them in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation.To establish the circumstances of individual patient deaths by performing a preliminary review of medical records to identify clinical and circumstantial information, sourcing additional details where required, for scrutiny by the medical examiner.To provide specialised advice to the bereaved and signpost to internal and external agencies and further support when required.To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR).
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for full details.
To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish any concerns relating to a patients death. Work with Medical Examiners (ME) to aid them in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation.To establish the circumstances of individual patient deaths by performing a preliminary review of medical records to identify clinical and circumstantial information, sourcing additional details where required, for scrutiny by the medical examiner.To provide specialised advice to the bereaved and signpost to internal and external agencies and further support when required.To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR).
Person Specification
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate and remain calm in difficult and emotional circumstances, with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage at all levels, including senior clinicians, coroners etc. about sensitive issues
- Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities
Qualification Requirements
Essential
- Educated to Bachelor's Degree level or equivalent working knowledge in a related field
- A commitment to lifelong learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved
- Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting the post
Experience and Achievements
Essential
- Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
- Experience of working with bereaved families or in a clinical setting with patients and relatives
- Competent at understanding and interpreting clinical information from electronic and paper medical records, investigations and clinical history.
- Good knowledge of clinical/medical terminology
- Competent with IT software systems and handling sensitive personal identifiable data
- Knowledge of the Coroner's & Justice Act 2009 reference to the medical examiner system.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a healthcare setting with multidisciplinary teams across organisational boundaries. Knowledge/experience of inquests and coronial processes.
- Knowledge/experience of mortality review processes e.g. Learning from Deaths, Structured Judgement Review
- Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity following a death
- Experience and understanding of audit
Person Specification
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate and remain calm in difficult and emotional circumstances, with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage at all levels, including senior clinicians, coroners etc. about sensitive issues
- Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities
Qualification Requirements
Essential
- Educated to Bachelor's Degree level or equivalent working knowledge in a related field
- A commitment to lifelong learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved
- Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting the post
Experience and Achievements
Essential
- Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
- Experience of working with bereaved families or in a clinical setting with patients and relatives
- Competent at understanding and interpreting clinical information from electronic and paper medical records, investigations and clinical history.
- Good knowledge of clinical/medical terminology
- Competent with IT software systems and handling sensitive personal identifiable data
- Knowledge of the Coroner's & Justice Act 2009 reference to the medical examiner system.
Desirable
- Experience of working within a healthcare setting with multidisciplinary teams across organisational boundaries. Knowledge/experience of inquests and coronial processes.
- Knowledge/experience of mortality review processes e.g. Learning from Deaths, Structured Judgement Review
- Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity following a death
- Experience and understanding of audit
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).
