Job summary
Medical Examiners are a core part of the process of the review and certification of patient deaths across the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.As a Medical Examiner, you will be able to act as a source of advice about death certification, engage with local and national clinical governance systems, and share learning from deaths.You will be able to offer up to date knowledge of medical conditions, treatments, and causes of death to support the bereaved.You will be able to discuss and share your knowledge of relevant legislation and processes in compassionate, professional, and discreet manner.You will be an effective communicator as part of a multi-disciplinary team; participating in relevant governance activities concerns have been raised by the next of kin/informant of the deceased and/or clinical staff and ME scrutiny.You will facilitate routine analysis of information to identify trends, patterns, and any unusual features of deaths.
The Medical Examiner service operates within a reactive area of service delivery interacting with people in variable degrees of distress.
Main duties of the job
o To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with Medical Examiner functions.o Review deaths and offer independent scrutiny of medical causes of death and care.o To explain and discuss the cause of death with the next of kin and colleagues.o To support the training of junior doctors around death certification.o Engage with clinical governance systems to highlight any further mortality case record review or learning that could have impacted on the death.o To support certification of deceased patients with organ/body donation and specific faith or cultural needs.o To support the appropriate referral and quality improvement of coronial referrals.o Ensure Medical Examiner records are properly completed and maintained.
About us
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in ourWellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The clinical duties of the post include the following:
To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths. To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol. To discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner. It is anticipated that such discussions will be predominately conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding information may exist. To ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office. To participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care. To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs. To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate. To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region. To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.MEs should be aware of how their personal communication style impacts on others and be able to adapt their approach to suit a variety of situations and audiences. This will require: Highly evolved self-awareness and empathetic skills to liaise effectively and sympathetically with bereaved families The ability to demonstrate and combine appropriate levels of compassion with professionalism and discretion Being open to constructive criticism, ideas and solutions Acting as a positive role model and interacting appropriately with all stakeholders including MEOs, other MEs, the bereaved and the coronerHaving the integrity to gain trust and comply with the independent nature of the ME role in the context of other clinical specialty duties.
Please see the Job Description and Person Specs for full details
Job description
Job responsibilities
The clinical duties of the post include the following:
To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths. To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol. To discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner. It is anticipated that such discussions will be predominately conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding information may exist. To ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office. To participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care. To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs. To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate. To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region. To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.MEs should be aware of how their personal communication style impacts on others and be able to adapt their approach to suit a variety of situations and audiences. This will require: Highly evolved self-awareness and empathetic skills to liaise effectively and sympathetically with bereaved families The ability to demonstrate and combine appropriate levels of compassion with professionalism and discretion Being open to constructive criticism, ideas and solutions Acting as a positive role model and interacting appropriately with all stakeholders including MEOs, other MEs, the bereaved and the coronerHaving the integrity to gain trust and comply with the independent nature of the ME role in the context of other clinical specialty duties.
Please see the Job Description and Person Specs for full details
Person Specification
Experience/Qualifications
Essential
- oBasic medical degree
- oPostgraduate qualification or appropriate specialist qualification
- oFull GMC Registration with a licence to practice
- oCompletion of Royal College of Pathologists Medical Examiner e-learning training
Desirable
- oHigher Degree
- oCompletion of Royal College of Pathologists face to face Medical Examiner training
Knowledge
Desirable
- oBreadth of experience in and outside specialty
Organisation & Planning
Essential
- oExperience and ability to work in multi-professional teams
- oUnderstanding of: NHS / Clinical governance / Resource constraints
Desirable
- oEvidence of managerial skills: Achievements / Course attended
Teaching Skills
Essential
- oEvidence of an interest and commitment to teaching
Desirable
- oRecognised teaching qualification
Academic & Research
Essential
- oEvidence of participation in audit
Desirable
- Research
- Publications
- Prizes & Honours
Career Progression & Personal Attributes
Essential
- oAppropriate progression of career to date
- Evidence of: oGood communication skills both oral and written
Person Specification
Experience/Qualifications
Essential
- oBasic medical degree
- oPostgraduate qualification or appropriate specialist qualification
- oFull GMC Registration with a licence to practice
- oCompletion of Royal College of Pathologists Medical Examiner e-learning training
Desirable
- oHigher Degree
- oCompletion of Royal College of Pathologists face to face Medical Examiner training
Knowledge
Desirable
- oBreadth of experience in and outside specialty
Organisation & Planning
Essential
- oExperience and ability to work in multi-professional teams
- oUnderstanding of: NHS / Clinical governance / Resource constraints
Desirable
- oEvidence of managerial skills: Achievements / Course attended
Teaching Skills
Essential
- oEvidence of an interest and commitment to teaching
Desirable
- oRecognised teaching qualification
Academic & Research
Essential
- oEvidence of participation in audit
Desirable
- Research
- Publications
- Prizes & Honours
Career Progression & Personal Attributes
Essential
- oAppropriate progression of career to date
- Evidence of: oGood communication skills both oral and written
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
