Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Mortuary Support/Biomedical Support Worker

The closing date is 12 June 2025

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic, adaptable person, keen to work as part of the mortuary team to assist in the provision of an efficient and smooth-running mortuary service. The mortuary provides a post mortem service to the Trust and HM Coroner. The work will be based mainly in the mortuary but may also involve limited work in the histology laboratory.

You will participate in receipt and release of the deceased, storage or personal effects, data entry for recording deceased, administration tasks associated with receipt, release and post mortems, telephone communication with a wide range of service users, sample handling, waste disposal, cleaning and other general mortuary duties.

Main duties of the job

Mortuary and laboratory tasks:

receipt and release of the deceased across three sites - John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals in Oxford and the Horton Hospital in Banbury.
liaising with funeral directors, bereavement officers, coroner's officers, pathologists and laboratory staff by telephone and email
participating in an on call service at the weekends to assist tissue services - identification of deceased with tissue services, moving deceased to post mortem room for organ retrieval by tissue services
dispatch of biological samples to testing laboratories
scanning of paperwork (archival storage of patient request forms and for digital pathology)
filing of departmental slides, blocks and specimens to ensure regulatory compliance
scanning of slides for digital pathology (histology slides converted to digital image for pathologists to make a diagnosis instead of using a microscope.

The successful candidates will work as part of a multidisciplinary team and have a positive professional approach to the work. The ability to use computers is critical for daily work to ensure correct mortuary and laboratory records are maintained.

Essential requirements : GCSE grade A-C / 4-9 in English and Maths and a similar grade in science is highly desirable.

Desirable requirements: Car and clean driving licence, previous relevant experience is desirable but not essential as all necessary training will be provided.

This role is not suitable for sponsorship.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.

We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.

These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

In 2023NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles

Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment.

If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.

Date posted

30 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£24,169 a year Per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

321-CSS-7098688-B2

Job locations

John Radcliffe Hospital

Headley Way

Oxford

OX3 9DU

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder, under supervision, will be expected to carry out the following duties according to the appropriate Standard Operating Procedures and ensuring Health and Safety guidance is followed.

Clinical Practice

Receive and record the receipt of deceased from wards and other sources

Match details on deceased with white board / paperwork and assign unique identifying mortuary register number requiring complete accuracy and attention to detail

Responsible for data entry into the mortuary computer system, requiring complete accuracy and attention to detail

Undress deceased as required and place in refrigerator, using mechanical hoist when possible.

Safeguard any property and valuables accompanying the deceased in line with Trust and Coroners procedures.

Work with Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT) staff to ensure work is processed in a timely and efficient manner

Liaise with undertakers and record the release and removal of deceased (and property) from hospital premises, ensuring compliance with all necessary paperwork

Participate in the preparation of disinfectants in accordance and perform routine decontamination and cleaning of the post-mortem rooms, refrigerator and their environs, waste disposal

Assist with deceased preparation for post-mortem / tissue donation, moving deceased from refrigeration to post-mortem station.

Help to monitor the adequacy of resources and equipment, reporting any deficiencies to the designated senior APT.

Despatch biological samples to testing laboratories ensuring that sample packaging is compliant with specimen transport guidelines

Management and organisational role

Communicate with other members of the team, demonstrating good work relations with all members of staff to promote effective team working.

Liaise with hospital officers and porter staff to facilitate viewing of deceased by relatives and others

Liaise with designated officers of HM Coroner and visiting police personnel

Receive sensitive information from relatives and their representatives where empathic skills are required.

Be aware of Clinical Governance, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and local Health and Safety polices, reporting problems, errors or breaches to the senior staff.

Assist with work required to maintain UKAS accreditation and HTA licencing requirements

Attend departmental and Trust-wide staff meetings as appropriate.

Demonstrate an awareness of, and compliance with, health and safety regulations, the Data Protection Act and Standard Operating Procedures.

Treats everyone associated with the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with courtesy and respect.

Information Technology Role

Display and maintain an appropriate level of IT skills, in order to input patient and post-mortem data maintain and amend deceased records and interrogate the post mortem databases.

Perform a range of administrative tasks in the mortuary as required. This includes retrieval and disposal of specimens and data, maintenance of associated records and the collection of data for audits.

Professional development and Education

Attend mandatory training sessions required by the Trust.

Attend any areas of further development as suggested in their Personal Development Plan (PDP)

Attend regular appraisal, maintain competence levels within the Department and assists in own personal and professional development

General Responsibilities

To be aware of the inherent risks of the work and to take appropriate precautions at all times, reporting to the Mortuary Manager or Safety Officer any potential hazards.

Abide by current policies and procedures defined by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and/or the Pathology Risk Management Team and to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Any matters of a confidential nature, including information relating to the diagnosis and treatment of patients, individual staff records must, under no circumstances, be divulged to any unauthorised person or persons.