Job summary

To support Medical Examiners in their role in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. To be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals, Coroner and the registration services.

Main duties of the job

The Medical Examiner Office at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital scrutinises the deaths of all adult and paediatric patients at the Trust and all non-acute deaths in the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.

The Medical Examiner system recently became a statutory requirement in England and Wales. This is an exciting time to join the Medical Examiner team at Guy's and St Thomas' as the exact form of the service is still being shaped and the successful candidate would be able play an important role in contributing to this.

You will be based at the Medical Examiner Office located at St Thomas' Hospital, working alongside the Duty Medical Examiner for that day, the Lead Medical Examiner Officer, Medical Examiner Officers, and team of Bereavement Administrators. There may be a requirement for occasional cross-site working with travel between the Guy's and St Thomas' sites (and any satellite inpatient units where the occasional need arises).

The usual start time will be 08:00 hours (Monday to Friday) but we can consider slight changes to working hours, which can be discussed at interview. There is also the option to take this as a part time role, with Wednesday as the non-working day.

The successful applicant may start immediately.

About us

You will work as a key member of a small but highly specialised and dedicated team. The atmosphere is friendly and supportive. This is an excellent opportunity to have daily contact with a wide range of medical specialties and further your clinical knowledge. The work we do is interesting, varied and gives a lot of job satisfaction. Every day, you will have the opportunity to help improve the care we provide and to directly support the relatives of deceased patients.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's leading, high-profile healthcare providers, managing a diverse and complex patient population across adult and paediatric care. With a long history of first class care, ground breaking research, innovation and teaching, this is an incredibly interesting place to work as a Medical Examiner Officer.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for full information.

To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish and resolve any concerns relating to a patients death. Work with Medical Examiners to aid them in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation.

To establish the circumstances of individual inpatient deaths by performing a preliminary review of medical records to identify relevant clinical and circumstantial information, sourcing additional details where required, for scrutiny by the Medical Examiner.

To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR).

To perform a preliminary review of all non-acute deaths referred to the Medical Examiner Office. Identifying relevant clinical and circumstantial information, liaising with primary care colleagues and general practitioners to source additional information where required, to enable scrutiny by the Medical Examiner.

To discuss cases with patients next of kin/representatives, explaining causes of death and medical terminology to them, where appropriate commensurate with your level of clinical knowledge.

To refer patients to Coroner for further investigation on approval by the Medical Examiner.

Maintain an awareness of the diverse needs of users of the medical examiner system to ensure equality to any particular group defined by sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.

Person Specification

Professional/Statutory Registration

Desirable

Registration with a relevant regulatory body NMC, HCPC.

Qualifications and Education

Essential

Educated to Bachelor's degree level or equivalent practical experience at an advanced level working in a related field. The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved. A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities. Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post.

Desirable

Degree in a relevant discipline Nursing, Paramedic Science.

Skills, Knowledge and Ability

Essential

General knowledge of clinical/medical terminology. Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities. IT competent and an ability to quickly become competent in the use of new and potentially unfamiliar IT software systems. Competent in handling sensitive personal identifiable data. Approachable and supportive to all levels of staff and bereaved families in a non-judgemental and discreet manner. Professional appearance, manner and awareness of impact of own behaviour on others. Ability to maintain a calm manner in a range of challenging and emotive circumstances.

Desirable

Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following a death Knowledge of the Coroners & Justice Act 2009 and Notifications of Death Regulations 2019 in respect of the Medical Examiner system. Full understanding of the Medical Examiner system operational remit when incorporated within Bereavement Services or as a stand-alone office

Previous Experience

Essential

Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations

Desirable

Previous experience as a Medical Examiner Officer. Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries.