Job summary
Bank Medical Examiner Officer
Division: Temporary Staffing
Care Group: Medical Directorate
Band: 5
Pay Rate: £20.91-£27.19 per hour depending on shift
We are recruiting for a Medical Examiner Officerwho shares our ambition and vision to deliver theBest of Care by the Best Peopleand has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.
Main duties of the job
The Medical Examiner System has been created by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in response to observations made in the Third Report of the Shipman Inquiry. The purpose of the medical examiner system is to promote robust, transparent and independent scrutiny of death certification processes.
Medical Examiner Officers are at the heart of the success of a Medical Examiner Office. They support Medical Examiners (specifically trained independent senior doctors) to ensure appropriate referrals to the Coroner and accuracy and consistency of MCCD content and are a point of contact for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals and coroner and registration services.
The ME Office at Medway began scrutinising acute deaths in July 2020 and have expanded the service to all non-coronial deaths in line with the statutory system which commenced on September
9th 2024.
Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.
About us
Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of theBest of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.
As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy - Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.
Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.
Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:
B - Bold
E - Every person counts
S - Sharing and open
T - Together
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.
Job description
Job responsibilities
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. Assist in highlighting cases that require referral to the Coroner and discuss with bereaved relatives why this might be necessary.
To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR).
To discuss likely content of medical certificate of cause of death with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations but would be fully supported by the Medical Examiner of the day and the lead MEO.
To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are dealt with in a timely manner and forwarded to the appropriate support service such as Patient Safety or Patient Experience for further investigation or input.
The nature of our work means you can be exposed to distressing and upsetting detail. The role of the MEO can be demanding with a sizable workload and requires an applicant with resilience and the ability to cope under pressure amongst their skill set.
Job description
Job responsibilities
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. Assist in highlighting cases that require referral to the Coroner and discuss with bereaved relatives why this might be necessary.
To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR).
To discuss likely content of medical certificate of cause of death with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations but would be fully supported by the Medical Examiner of the day and the lead MEO.
To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are dealt with in a timely manner and forwarded to the appropriate support service such as Patient Safety or Patient Experience for further investigation or input.
The nature of our work means you can be exposed to distressing and upsetting detail. The role of the MEO can be demanding with a sizable workload and requires an applicant with resilience and the ability to cope under pressure amongst their skill set.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Bachelor's degree level, or evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level; this might include nursing and/or other clinical experience.
- Completed e-learning for Health MEO training - Core Modules
- Completion of Royal College of Pathologists face-to-face MEO training, or a commitment to do so within 6 months of starting in post
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (where it relates to Death Certification)
- Detailed knowledge of clinical terminology
- Knowledge of the special requirements of the various faith groups with an awareness of equality and diversity issues surrounding death certification & arrangements
- Extensive in-depth knowledge of the Medical Examiner System is essential. It is desirable that the applicant has practical experience of working within the Medical Examiner system.
Experience
Essential
- Previous related or relevant NHS experience
- Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries
Skills
Essential
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and understanding
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage at all levels including senior clinicians/coroners etc. about sensitive issues
- Ability to work effectively and credibly with multidisciplinary teams
- Ability to organise work around changeable competing demands and fluctuating workloads
- Demonstrable ability to work to deadlines and achieve agreed objectives
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Bachelor's degree level, or evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level; this might include nursing and/or other clinical experience.
- Completed e-learning for Health MEO training - Core Modules
- Completion of Royal College of Pathologists face-to-face MEO training, or a commitment to do so within 6 months of starting in post
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (where it relates to Death Certification)
- Detailed knowledge of clinical terminology
- Knowledge of the special requirements of the various faith groups with an awareness of equality and diversity issues surrounding death certification & arrangements
- Extensive in-depth knowledge of the Medical Examiner System is essential. It is desirable that the applicant has practical experience of working within the Medical Examiner system.
Experience
Essential
- Previous related or relevant NHS experience
- Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries
Skills
Essential
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and understanding
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage at all levels including senior clinicians/coroners etc. about sensitive issues
- Ability to work effectively and credibly with multidisciplinary teams
- Ability to organise work around changeable competing demands and fluctuating workloads
- Demonstrable ability to work to deadlines and achieve agreed objectives
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).
