Job summary
An opportunity has arisen at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals for aqualified Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT).
The Mortuary services managed by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitalsspans 3 sites at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals and perform in excess of 750post mortem examinations per year at the instruction of HM Coroner. The department isfully HTA accredited.
Participation in an on call rota is mandatory, overtime will be paid for this.
Interview Date - To Be Confirmed
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will have a Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technologyand demonstrable experience of working in a mortuary setting. They will be able todemonstrate good technical knowledge of mortuary policy, procedure, and humananatomy, as well as a good understanding of health and safety legislation and working incompliance with HTA guidelines. Continuous professional development is activelyencouraged amongst all members of the team and the department has a good track recordof developing its staff to realise their full potential.
The role will involve performing a number of tasks including receipt and appropriatestorage of the deceased, preparation for Post Mortem examination and release of thedeceased in line with departmental policy, best practice and the Human Tissue Act, and insupport of the Coroner, Pathologists and Police.
About us
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
- CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
- SAFETY that is of the highest standards
- COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
- SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
- PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- Ensure all duties are carried out in compliance with the Human tissue authority (HTA) codes of practice.
- Carry out procedures with regards to receipt, storage and release of the deceased completing associated documentation in compliance with current policies.
- Ensure all unidentified deceased are appropriately identifiable once identity has been established.
- Liaise with the Trust Bereavement Officers, assisting them in the functions of the service dealing with bereaved families.
- Assist, the Coroners Officers and carry out their instructions with regards to all deceased bodies in their remit.
- To assist with hospital post-mortems on the instruction of the Consultant Histopathologists or other medical staff.
- To assist with post-mortems carried out at the instruction of H M Coroner under the arrangements made with Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospital.
- To perform, under supervision of the Consultant Pathologist, relevant post-mortem procedures on patients which are in an advanced state of mechanical disruption or decomposition/infestation.
- To prepare the deceased for viewing in a sensitive and respectful manner demonstrating awareness of religious requirements subject to individual risk assessment
- Carry out surgical evisceration, and patient reconstruction processes in the post-mortem suite in accordance with mortuary policies to enable identification for Police, viewings for relatives and dignified collection from funeral directors.
- Ensure effective reconstruction and cosmetic presentation of bodies following extreme trauma e.g. Road traffic accident, suicide and persons hit by trains etc.
- Perform invisceration of organs and suturing of bodies at the request of the Consultant Histopathologist or other medical staff on hospital and Coroners post-mortems.
- Ensure that all tissues taken during postmortem for histological diagnosis are taken according to consent information provided by the coroner.
- Remove cardiac implants when required by the hospital and clean them prior to disposal.
- Liaise with the tissue bank teams and assist in the harvest of tissues in line with current Trust agreements, protocols, and consent.
- Liaise with the Bereavement Office and funeral directors in respect of sensitive disposal of fetal remains in line with departmental and Trust policies.
- To assist in the system for the receipt, handling, and disposal of Products of Conception from the Gynae and Midwifery Services at ODGH
- Ensure that high standards of cleanliness and tidiness are always maintained in the department in accordance with departmental SOPs and HSE guidelines.
- To maintain equipment on a day-to-day basis in accordance with policies/procedures and in accordance with manufacturers guidelines
- Report equipment fault or incidents to the Mortuary manager or in his/her absence the Cellular Pathology manager
- Maintain and control adequate supplies of instruments, stores, linen, and consumables.
- To ensure that suitable personal protective clothing and equipment is available for staff and visitors.
- Keep up to date with relevant scientific information, trends, and developments to assist in the maintenance and development of mortuary procedures.
- Maintain an ongoing Professional Portfolio and an up-to-date Professional Development Plan.
OUT OF HOURS
Take an active role in the out of hours service of the department, duties performed:
- Home Office postmortems
- Removal of tissues for transplant
- Viewing of bodies which have a high risk of infection.
- Restoring bodies badly traumatised in preparation for viewing
- Release of bodies on religious grounds and under exceptional circumstances
- Monitor and organise transfers of bodies to offsite storage facilities and outside mortuaries when necessary, completing all necessary documentation.
- Assist in the identification with the Police of the BIDs, ensuring all correct documentation is completed.
- Any other duties that may be required by the Trust, Home Office, or H M Coroner.
- The post holder will be required to participate in the delivery of the mortuary service outside core hours. This entails contracted participation on a rotational basis in the departments on-call roster.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain and foster the highest possible standards of technical work complying with Clinical Pathology Accreditation / UKAS, HTA and Health & Safety standards and regulations.
- Keep up to date with relevant scientific information, trends, and developments to assist in the maintenance and development of mortuary procedures.
- Maintain an on-going Professional Portfolio and an up-to-date Professional Development Plan.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSABILITIES
- To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely for compliance with the standard of Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK), UKAS and the HTA.
- To comply with good mortuary practice required for the standards of Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK), UKAS, HTA and Health & Safety guidelines.
- Assist in the collation of statistics for finance on the total number of bodies within the department with special reference to each Coroner.
- Take an active role in departmental annual appraisal, keeping records and amending job roles where necessary.
- Assist in audit within the department and when necessary, collate the statistics from the mortuary database.
- Assist in the maintenance of all equipment and instruments, recording on the maintenance logs details of maintenance visits.
- Ensure that adequate stocks of consumables and instruments are available and appropriately always stored.
- Deputise for the Mortuary Lead in their absence.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- Participate in training any current Trainee APTs in accordance with departmental policies and SOPs.
- Assist Trainee APTs in the completion of the Royal Institutes Anatomical Pathology Logbook
- Assist APTs in further training within the department for the Diploma in Anatomical Pathology
- To attend educational and training courses as required by the departmental manager.
LABORATORY INFORMATICS
- To comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure, and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information
- Maintain the integrity and accuracy of the laboratory databases, checking and correcting, if necessary, information input by staff
- Follow trust policies, guidelines and procedures when using the Trust wide IT system.
- To assist in the audit of data held on the laboratory IT system.
COMMUNICATION
- To communicate with trust personnel, funeral directors, coroners office, police officers, religious ministers, and the public in an effective manner while demonstrating an understanding of individual requirements e.g. religious rites
- To ensure that relatives are supported during the viewing process, offered advice if requested, and always treated with courtesy and consideration.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
- Always comply with the Trust Health and Safety Policy and the Laboratory Health and Safety Policy.
- The role will involve frequent exposure to unpleasant body fluids and tissue that are potentially infective with pathogenic micro-organisms/viruses (including blood borne viral infections e.g. Hepatitis, HIV, nvCJD, TB).
- Exposure to harmful chemicals, including carcinogens, will be dealt with and adhered to under the COSHH regulations.
- Participate in internal and external safety audits.
- Attend mandatory and statutory, fire, lifting and handling and health and safety training.
- All staff have a responsibility to report any risks, clinical and non-clinical incidents promptly and to co-operate with any investigations undertaken.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- Ensure all duties are carried out in compliance with the Human tissue authority (HTA) codes of practice.
- Carry out procedures with regards to receipt, storage and release of the deceased completing associated documentation in compliance with current policies.
- Ensure all unidentified deceased are appropriately identifiable once identity has been established.
- Liaise with the Trust Bereavement Officers, assisting them in the functions of the service dealing with bereaved families.
- Assist, the Coroners Officers and carry out their instructions with regards to all deceased bodies in their remit.
- To assist with hospital post-mortems on the instruction of the Consultant Histopathologists or other medical staff.
- To assist with post-mortems carried out at the instruction of H M Coroner under the arrangements made with Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospital.
- To perform, under supervision of the Consultant Pathologist, relevant post-mortem procedures on patients which are in an advanced state of mechanical disruption or decomposition/infestation.
- To prepare the deceased for viewing in a sensitive and respectful manner demonstrating awareness of religious requirements subject to individual risk assessment
- Carry out surgical evisceration, and patient reconstruction processes in the post-mortem suite in accordance with mortuary policies to enable identification for Police, viewings for relatives and dignified collection from funeral directors.
- Ensure effective reconstruction and cosmetic presentation of bodies following extreme trauma e.g. Road traffic accident, suicide and persons hit by trains etc.
- Perform invisceration of organs and suturing of bodies at the request of the Consultant Histopathologist or other medical staff on hospital and Coroners post-mortems.
- Ensure that all tissues taken during postmortem for histological diagnosis are taken according to consent information provided by the coroner.
- Remove cardiac implants when required by the hospital and clean them prior to disposal.
- Liaise with the tissue bank teams and assist in the harvest of tissues in line with current Trust agreements, protocols, and consent.
- Liaise with the Bereavement Office and funeral directors in respect of sensitive disposal of fetal remains in line with departmental and Trust policies.
- To assist in the system for the receipt, handling, and disposal of Products of Conception from the Gynae and Midwifery Services at ODGH
- Ensure that high standards of cleanliness and tidiness are always maintained in the department in accordance with departmental SOPs and HSE guidelines.
- To maintain equipment on a day-to-day basis in accordance with policies/procedures and in accordance with manufacturers guidelines
- Report equipment fault or incidents to the Mortuary manager or in his/her absence the Cellular Pathology manager
- Maintain and control adequate supplies of instruments, stores, linen, and consumables.
- To ensure that suitable personal protective clothing and equipment is available for staff and visitors.
- Keep up to date with relevant scientific information, trends, and developments to assist in the maintenance and development of mortuary procedures.
- Maintain an ongoing Professional Portfolio and an up-to-date Professional Development Plan.
OUT OF HOURS
Take an active role in the out of hours service of the department, duties performed:
- Home Office postmortems
- Removal of tissues for transplant
- Viewing of bodies which have a high risk of infection.
- Restoring bodies badly traumatised in preparation for viewing
- Release of bodies on religious grounds and under exceptional circumstances
- Monitor and organise transfers of bodies to offsite storage facilities and outside mortuaries when necessary, completing all necessary documentation.
- Assist in the identification with the Police of the BIDs, ensuring all correct documentation is completed.
- Any other duties that may be required by the Trust, Home Office, or H M Coroner.
- The post holder will be required to participate in the delivery of the mortuary service outside core hours. This entails contracted participation on a rotational basis in the departments on-call roster.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain and foster the highest possible standards of technical work complying with Clinical Pathology Accreditation / UKAS, HTA and Health & Safety standards and regulations.
- Keep up to date with relevant scientific information, trends, and developments to assist in the maintenance and development of mortuary procedures.
- Maintain an on-going Professional Portfolio and an up-to-date Professional Development Plan.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSABILITIES
- To ensure that records are kept up to date and stored safely for compliance with the standard of Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK), UKAS and the HTA.
- To comply with good mortuary practice required for the standards of Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK), UKAS, HTA and Health & Safety guidelines.
- Assist in the collation of statistics for finance on the total number of bodies within the department with special reference to each Coroner.
- Take an active role in departmental annual appraisal, keeping records and amending job roles where necessary.
- Assist in audit within the department and when necessary, collate the statistics from the mortuary database.
- Assist in the maintenance of all equipment and instruments, recording on the maintenance logs details of maintenance visits.
- Ensure that adequate stocks of consumables and instruments are available and appropriately always stored.
- Deputise for the Mortuary Lead in their absence.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- Participate in training any current Trainee APTs in accordance with departmental policies and SOPs.
- Assist Trainee APTs in the completion of the Royal Institutes Anatomical Pathology Logbook
- Assist APTs in further training within the department for the Diploma in Anatomical Pathology
- To attend educational and training courses as required by the departmental manager.
LABORATORY INFORMATICS
- To comply with the local and national policies for safe, secure, and confidential processing and storage of patient and other laboratory information
- Maintain the integrity and accuracy of the laboratory databases, checking and correcting, if necessary, information input by staff
- Follow trust policies, guidelines and procedures when using the Trust wide IT system.
- To assist in the audit of data held on the laboratory IT system.
COMMUNICATION
- To communicate with trust personnel, funeral directors, coroners office, police officers, religious ministers, and the public in an effective manner while demonstrating an understanding of individual requirements e.g. religious rites
- To ensure that relatives are supported during the viewing process, offered advice if requested, and always treated with courtesy and consideration.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
- Always comply with the Trust Health and Safety Policy and the Laboratory Health and Safety Policy.
- The role will involve frequent exposure to unpleasant body fluids and tissue that are potentially infective with pathogenic micro-organisms/viruses (including blood borne viral infections e.g. Hepatitis, HIV, nvCJD, TB).
- Exposure to harmful chemicals, including carcinogens, will be dealt with and adhered to under the COSHH regulations.
- Participate in internal and external safety audits.
- Attend mandatory and statutory, fire, lifting and handling and health and safety training.
- All staff have a responsibility to report any risks, clinical and non-clinical incidents promptly and to co-operate with any investigations undertaken.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Certificate in Anatomical Pathology (RPIHH) or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Trained to Diploma level in Anatomical Pathology (RIPHH)
- Completion of NHSBT Eye Retrieval Manual
- Bereavement training
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experience in anatomical techniques
- Experience in infection control / forensic procedures
- Experience in autopsy reconstruction techniques
- Knowledge of health and safety requirements including COSHH regulations and assessments
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Skills
Essential
- Demonstrates ability to work under pressure and prioritise their workload with a proved ability to multitask
- Evidence of good interpersonal and communication skills
- Evidence of good time management skills
Other
Essential
- Evidence of ability to work as part of a team
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Certificate in Anatomical Pathology (RPIHH) or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Trained to Diploma level in Anatomical Pathology (RIPHH)
- Completion of NHSBT Eye Retrieval Manual
- Bereavement training
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experience in anatomical techniques
- Experience in infection control / forensic procedures
- Experience in autopsy reconstruction techniques
- Knowledge of health and safety requirements including COSHH regulations and assessments
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Skills
Essential
- Demonstrates ability to work under pressure and prioritise their workload with a proved ability to multitask
- Evidence of good interpersonal and communication skills
- Evidence of good time management skills
Other
Essential
- Evidence of ability to work as part of a team
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).
