Bereavement Officer

Job description

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

Job overview

Provide a Trust-wide service for newly bereaved relatives, ensuring that newly bereaved families understand procedures for registration of death and provide support to families advising on the arrangements and facilitating mortuary viewings in a professional and caring manner.

To facilitate the production and distribution of the medical certificate of death through liaison with Medical Examiner Service and engagement with medical teams. The postholder will have excellent communication skills and maintain regular liaison with family, mortuary, coroner's office, and funeral directors in order that families can proceed with funeral arrangements in a timely fashion.

Main duties of the job

Answering phones and providing practical and emotional support to bereaved relatives, offering expert guidance on death certification and funeral arrangements.

Supporting relatives who wish to view their next of kin in the Chapel of Rest, including families of hospital deaths and those affected by sudden or tragic deaths under the coroner's jurisdiction.

Liaising with the Medical Examiner team and clinical staff to ensure correct paperwork, booking appointments, assisting doctors with required documents and coronial referrals, and distributing completed documentation to relevant stakeholders.

Authorising release paperwork for transfer of the deceased to the appointed funeral director.

Registering deaths on behalf of relatives unable to attend a registration office, in line with legislation.

Providing police constables with information required for the Coroner's G28 post-mortem form when acting as Coroner's Officer, and facilitating next-of-kin identification visits in line with Trust policy.

Completing referrals and communicating with environmental health when the deceased has no next of kin, supporting enquiries related to hospital admission.

Delivering bereavement education sessions at junior doctor induction and Trust study days.

Recording all deaths daily on the Summary Care Record Application as required by the Data Provisional Notice.

Providing cross-site cover during staff absences.

Working for our organisation

Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Happy to Talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible and part time working will be considered.

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached.

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Good standard of general education including English Language and Maths of GCSE grades A C
• Training in working with Bereaved relatives, deceased patients and/or the process of death certification or equivalent experience.
• Basic IT training

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of the support required for bereaved families and the statutory requirements.
• Knowledge of good practice in relation to support for bereaved families and relatives.
• Experience with managing and resolving difficult situations with members of the public.
• Able to adapt and implement change positively.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working within the NHS
• Experience with working with the bereaved
• Experience with completion of medical certificate of cause of death and cremation 4 documents

Skills and Ability

Essential criteria

• Excellent organisation skills essential
• Effective communication skills both verbal and written
• Ability to deliver information in a caring, empathetic manner.

Other

Essential criteria

• Ability to cross site work when required.
• Ability to adapt and implement change positively.

Using AI in Your Application

We support the use of technology to help manage time and improve efficiency, but it is your responsibility to ensure your application is personalised and accurately reflects your own skills, experience and values.

AI tools can be useful when drafting an application, but they should only be used to assist you. The content submitted must be your own work and an authentic representation of your knowledge, abilities and experiences.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may be rejected. For example, we may receive multiple applications containing identical or generic wording that does not reflect the individual applicant.

The use of AI during assessments, including interviews, is not permitted unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. For virtual interviews, you may be asked to provide a 360-degree view of the room and confirm that no additional devices are being used. If AI use is suspected during an interview, we may pause the interview, ask questions regarding its use, or adapt our assessment approach.

Working in healthcare requires integrity, honesty and accountability. We expect all applications and assessments to be a genuine reflection of your own experience, knowledge and values.
Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in both the delivery of our services and the recruitment and management of our staff.

We welcome applications from everyone who has the skills, experience and values required for the role, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity.
Happy to Talk Flexible Working

We are committed to supporting flexible ways of working and will consider all requests for flexible and part-time working wherever service needs allow.
Important Information About Your Application
Recruitment Process

Applications are submitted through our recruitment system, Trac. Following submission, all correspondence relating to your application will be sent from apps.trac.jobs. Please regularly check your inbox, including your junk or spam folders.

Shortlisted candidates will normally be contacted at least five working days before their interview date.
Vacancy Closing Dates

This vacancy may close before the advertised closing date if sufficient applications are received. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.
English Language Requirement

In line with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate effectively in spoken and written English. This will be assessed during the recruitment process.
Pre-Employment Checks and Probation
Keeping Patients Safe

At Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, patient safety is our highest priority. We recommend that staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and understand that we continue to care for patients who are COVID-19 positive within our services.
Probationary Period

All new employees will be required to complete a six-month probationary period as part of their employment with the Trust.

Tackling Climate Change: Hampshire Hospitals aims to embed sustainability and net zero carbon principles into the delivery of care across all its services. To find out more, search