University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Band 3 Bereavement Care Administrative Assistant

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Job summary

The End of Life & Bereavement Care Team is recruiting a compassionate and organised Band 3 Bereavement Care Administrative Assistant to join the Bereavement Hub at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, with cross site working as required.

This is a pivotal role supporting families at one of the most difficult times of their lives. As the first point of contact following a death, you will speak sensitively with bereaved relatives, providing clear, accurate information about medical examiners, registration of death, funeral arrangements and bereavement support, while ensuring all administrative processes are completed accurately and in line with Trust policy.

We are looking for a calm, empathetic individual with excellent communication and organisational skills, who can manage sensitive conversations, prioritise a varied workload and remain professional in emotionally challenging situations. You will work closely with Clinical Nurse Specialists, the Bereavement Hub Coordinator, mortuary teams, funeral directors and external agencies to ensure families receive timely, kind and coordinated care.

This is a rewarding opportunity to join a dedicated, values led service committed to delivering high quality bereavement care and continually improving the experience of families across University Hospitals Birmingham.

Main duties of the job

Act as the first point of contact for bereaved relatives via telephone, providing sensitive, accurate and compassionate information following the death of a patient. Obtain, record and input information to support death certification and bereavement processes, ensuring all data is entered correctly onto Trust systems and bereavement databases in line with policy.

Provide guidance to families on medical examiners, registration of death, funeral arrangements, Coroners' processes and available bereavement support, signposting and escalating concerns appropriately. Undertake follow up contact with families who have not contacted the Bereavement Hub and escalate safeguarding concerns in accordance with Trust procedures.

Liaise effectively with mortuary services, ward teams, funeral directors, Coroners' officers and external agencies regarding care of the deceased, identification of funeral directors and management of long stays in the mortuary.

Support the day to day running of the Bereavement Care Hub by prioritising workload, managing telephone calls, messages and correspondence, preparing and distributing bereavement support packs, and maintaining organised electronic and paper records. Collect and input data for surveys, audits and service reports, assist with stock control, and work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team to support service development and continuous improvement.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Date posted

27 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£25,760 to £27,476 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

304-1100396

Job locations

Heartlands Hospital

Bordesley Green E

Birmingham

West Midlands

B9 5SS

Job description

Job responsibilities

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

Job description

Job responsibilities

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

*Good standard of secondary education e.g. English and Maths GCSE 9-4/ A-C
*Good Keyboard Skills
*NVQ 3 or equivalent comparable experience

Desirable

*Good IT literacy including proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn new systems quickly

Experience

Essential

*Experience of dealing with the Public/Customer service experience
*Experience of working with a range of Microsoft Office packages e.g. Word, Excel and Outlook)
*Experience of using IT systems
*Experience of working in a busy environment
*Clerical/administrative experience
*Demonstrate understanding of patient confidentiality

Desirable

*Experience of working in healthcare or a similar complex environment
*Knowledge of acute hospital bereavement services
*Knowledge of processes and procedures following a death

Additional Criteria

Essential

*Excellent communication skills
*Sensitive and professional telephone manner to support bereaved families
*Excellent customer service
*Ability to deal with distressing situations
*Able to respond to complex and sensitive issues.
*Good personal time management.
*Experience in Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) with good computer skills.
*Prioritisation/Organisational skills.
*Ability to use initiative and show self-motivation
*Ability to work in a busy environment.
*Able to demonstrate integrity Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure.
*Meeting Minutes experience
*Attention to detail
*Punctual
*Approachable
*Calm
*Patient
*Sympathetic
*Ability to recognise stress in self and others and respond appropriately
*Ability to work on different Trust sites when required

Desirable

*Demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and sensitively in challenging or emotional situations
*Handling confidential information with discretion and professionalism

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

*Good standard of secondary education e.g. English and Maths GCSE 9-4/ A-C
*Good Keyboard Skills
*NVQ 3 or equivalent comparable experience

Desirable

*Good IT literacy including proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn new systems quickly

Experience

Essential

*Experience of dealing with the Public/Customer service experience
*Experience of working with a range of Microsoft Office packages e.g. Word, Excel and Outlook)
*Experience of using IT systems
*Experience of working in a busy environment
*Clerical/administrative experience
*Demonstrate understanding of patient confidentiality

Desirable

*Experience of working in healthcare or a similar complex environment
*Knowledge of acute hospital bereavement services
*Knowledge of processes and procedures following a death

Additional Criteria

Essential

*Excellent communication skills
*Sensitive and professional telephone manner to support bereaved families
*Excellent customer service
*Ability to deal with distressing situations
*Able to respond to complex and sensitive issues.
*Good personal time management.
*Experience in Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) with good computer skills.
*Prioritisation/Organisational skills.
*Ability to use initiative and show self-motivation
*Ability to work in a busy environment.
*Able to demonstrate integrity Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure.
*Meeting Minutes experience
*Attention to detail
*Punctual
*Approachable
*Calm
*Patient
*Sympathetic
*Ability to recognise stress in self and others and respond appropriately
*Ability to work on different Trust sites when required

Desirable

*Demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and sensitively in challenging or emotional situations
*Handling confidential information with discretion and professionalism

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.

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Heartlands Hospital

Bordesley Green E

Birmingham

West Midlands

B9 5SS

Employer's website

https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Heartlands Hospital

Bordesley Green E

Birmingham

West Midlands

B9 5SS

Employer's website

https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm (Opens in a new tab)