Mortuary Manager

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the job description for a full list of duties

Leadership and Management

Deputise for Cellular Pathology Manager in their absence.

Provide leadership in a team environment and support all staff, including during major incidents.

To manage quality assurance processes in main mortuary sites and satellite body stores.

Ensure all evisceration, diagnostic and patient reconstruction processes during a post mortem are carried out safely and in accordance with policies.

Ensure the procedures for storage and release of deceased are followed at all times.

Monitor and manage capacity and demand for the service, escalating concerns to the Cellular Pathology Manager in a timely manner.

Report the capacity data to the Trust Health Informatics team during high pressure periods.

Quality Systems and Clinical Governance

To lead the quality assurance aspect of mortuary services, both internal and external, and to act in accordance with SOPs. Represent the service at departmental quality meetings.

Develop, implement and maintain effective reporting systems to provide reliable data to the Pathology management team for mortuary complaints, incidents and accreditation, licensing and security compliance concerns.

Responsible for reporting accreditation and regulatory performance to the Pathology Quality Manager for onward reporting at Quality & Healthcare Governance Group, CSS Quality & Governance group and Pathology management.

Undertake and review all necessary quality checks on mortuary services and be able to act on day to day problems encountered to resolve these in a timely manner.

To manage an audit schedule which meets the requirements of ISO15189 and HTA standards. Schedule and perform audits, record findings and resolve non-conformances in a timely manner.

Be a HTA Person Designate (PD) for CDDFT. Lead and manage the technical mortuary staff to ensure licence conditions are met and escalate to the Pathology management team when there is a risk of breach or a failure to meet any licence condition.

Arrange for the lawful disposal of human tissue following the appropriate consent processes.

Complete the self-assessment documentation for HTA.

In conjunction with the Cellular Pathology laboratory manager and Designated Individual undertake the mortuary lead role in the investigation of high-level incidents including HTA reportable incidents. Ensure incidents are reported in a timely manner.

Monitor the departmental risk register relating to mortuary services, ensuring it is comprehensive and relevant and that all risks are updated in a timely fashion and escalating to the Cellular Pathology laboratory manager as required.

To ensure that records pertaining to deceased persons are accurate and stored appropriately. Use information to provide reports on workload and performance indicators and recommendations for efficient use of mortuary resources.

The post holder will be required to produce statistical reports and spreadsheets.

Health and Safety and Security

To liaise with the Trusts estates department and PFI partners to ensure continued compliance with security arrangements. Perform regular audits of security on all sites.

Patient care

Investigate non-compliances, incidents and complaints within limits of responsibility identified by the Pathology service managers, implementing corrective and preventative actions as required.

Monitor and manage long stay patients ensuring dignity of the deceased is maintained at all times.

Professionally accountable for ensuring patient safety within the mortuary environment.

Policy and Service development

The post holder will actively write, participate in the development of and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), local and Trust wide policies, and service improvements in their own work area and also where these may impact on other disciplines and departments.

Financial and physical resources

The post holder will be able to purchase equipment and consumables in line with current Trust standing financial instructions.

Required to have an awareness and understanding of the principles of financial management of their section and the department.

Communication

To maintain the highest level of patient confidentiality.

Liaise with other senior staff on the day to day operation of the department.

To give advice to service users and other staff on the protocols, standards and guidelines within the provision of the service.

To investigate any anomalies within the department.

The post holder will be required to plan and prioritise their own workload and that of other staff. This includes rostering and approval of annual leave to ensure there is sufficient cross site cover and the out of hours service is maintained.

Perform annual performance and development reviews for staff and maintain the mortuary training plan.

Management of attendance, staff grievances and disciplinary issues.

Working with the Cellular Pathology Manager on the recruitment, selection and retention of the mortuary workforce. Reviewing the skill mix in line with the changing needs of the service.

The post holder will maintain, calibrate and quality control specialist equipment for correct operation with appropriate record keeping in accordance with department protocols e.g. temperature monitors.

There is direct contact with deceased patients and exposure to distressing or emotional situations is to be expected.

The post holder may have to deal with difficult telephone conversations with users who may be emotionally distressed.

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant Masters degree or equivalent.
• Level 4 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology
• OR
• Registered healthcare professional (HCPC, NMC etc.)
• Demonstrate evidence of on-going CPD.

Desirable

• Management qualification
• Specialist training courses e.g. health and safety

Experience

Essential

• Extensive management experience of leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience of working with a range of staff e.g. mortuary staff, porters, pathologists, ward staff, clinical staff.
• Managing staff through a range of HR processes.
• Experience of supporting and managing staff independently and autonomously.
• Mortuary management or deputy roles including managing mortuary teams and site management
• OR
• Managing a ward or department in a health care setting, NHS or equivalent.
• Leading a team through external regulation assessments (CQC, HTA, UKAS).
• Experience of working in distressing situations.

Desirable

• Experienced Anatomical Pathology Technician
• Experience of being a Persons Designate for HTA license purposes.
• Experience of liaising with external stakeholders and accreditation bodies such as HMC, HTA, undertakers, LRF, police, registry office.
• Experience of budget and finance management.
• Experience of major incident planning and / or mass fatalities.
• Experience of managing complaints and leading high level investigations.
• Experience in coronial and high risk post-mortems.
• Experience of change management.
• Experience of dealing with bereaved relatives.
• Experience of supporting staff in difficult situations.
• Conflict management.

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Working knowledge of health and safety legislation.
• Working knowledge of patient safety investigations and complaints.
• Ability to prioritise and work under pressure and autonomously.
• Good verbal & written communication skills.
• Able to demonstrate Leadership and Management Skills.
• Relevant Highly Specialist theoretical knowledge or practical experience in a mortuary setting.
• Knowledge of processes of body receipt, storage and release.
• Familiarity with Post Mortem dissection processes including Health and Safety and IPC requirements.
• Evidence of developing policies and procedures.
• Experience of working to standards such as UKAS and especially HTA
• Able to investigate incidents and implement changes from the lessons learned, for example root cause analysis.
• Excellent IT skills including word, excel and powerpoint.

Desirable

• Training & staff development.
• Able to complete gap analysis and manage action plans.
• Able to plan and complete detailed audits and manage improvement based on findings and trends.
• A working knowledge of care after death protocols at ward level and documentation for deceased.
• Understanding of customs and practices associated with different religious, non-religious and cultural traditions.

Special Requirements

Essential

• Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post, sometimes at short notice.
• Ability to work out of hours as required.

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).