Band 5 Medical Examiner Officer
The closing date is 06 July 2025
Job summary
An opportunity has arisen to become part of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) Medical Examiner Service, as a Medical Examiner Officer (MEO).
The ME Service has recently been established across England and Wales to improve the quality of death certification and provide an independent layer of scrutiny when somebody passes away. This system is designed to give bereaved families a voice and better understand the circumstances surrounding a death. As of the 9th September 2024 this service has become statutory meaning it will be mandatory for all deaths to be scrutinised by the Medical Examiner Service or investigated by HMC.
We recognise that MEOs are integral to the service and are fundamental in allowing Medical Examiners to conduct timely scrutiny of deaths that occur at our acute hospitals or in the community. This role is cross-site, meaning the successful candidate will work at both Queen's Hospital and King George Hospital on a rostered basis (a free staff shuttle bus can be used to transit between sites).
This is a small, collaborative team where every member feels valued and is encouraged to innovate and perform at their best. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic and passionate about contributing to our growing service. Additionally, due to the nature of the role the successful candidate
Main duties of the job
This role is primarily focused in supporting Medical Examiners (ME) to complete a timely, independent scrutiny of deaths which occur in our remit. On a day-to-day basis this usually involves:
o Entering patient data into our IT systemso Conducting a 'pre-scrutiny' to ensure all relevant information has been provided and summarise key clinical or circumstantial information regarding the patiento Contacting relatives on behalf of the medical examiner of deceased patients before the death certificate is issued to establish if they have any concerns or questions about the deatho Escalating concerns/issues to the relevant service or persono Submitting the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to the Registration services upon completiono Liaising with other stakeholders e.g. bereavement staff, doctors, the coroners office etc
As we operate in a culturally diverse population, we have established a seven-day service to enable respectful compliance with tight timescales in accordance with the funeral wishes/practices of various faith groups. This means the successful candidate will be expected to participate in rostered weekend work, in addition to standard Monday-Friday work.
About us
We're an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we're proud of and our patients are happy with. We're no longer in special measures; we've opened two new theatres at our Elective Surgical Hub in King George Hospital (KGH); and Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, was named the top CEO by the Health Service Journal in 2024.We operate from two main sites - KGH in Goodmayes and Queen's Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 330,000 people visiting them last year. We're campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen's and get rid of corridor care.Our patients are benefitting from our Women's Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George's Health and Wellbeing Hub in Hornchurch.These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and are providing an extra 94,000 scans a year.The majority of our 8,000 staff - who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We're proud to be a London Living Wage employer.We're looking forward to introducing an electronic patient record that will be transformative for our staff and beneficial for our patients.
Details
Date posted
20 June 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 5
Salary
£34,521 to £41,956 a year Per annum inclusive
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
162-7111-PA
Job locations
Medical Examiners Service
Rom Valley Way
Romford
RM7 0AG
Employer details
Employer name
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Address
Medical Examiners Service
Rom Valley Way
Romford
RM7 0AG
Employer's website
https://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Supporting documents
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