Medical Examiner 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

Location: North & Mid Hampshire Medical Examiner (ME) Service, hosted by HHFT provides a ME Service to all acute sites and primary healthcare settings, including community deaths across our geographical footprint. We have two offices, one situated in Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, and another situated in Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester. You will be primarily located at Basingstoke site with requirement for cross-site working.

This role is part of the national implementation of the ME service in England and Wales and we invite applications from anyone with degree level education or equivalent experience, either with a professional clinical background or relevant experience in the bereavement or coroner service.

The successful candidate would be joining an existing small & friendly team who work collaboratively to provide support for bereaved families and to improve patient safety. You would work closely with the MEs and report to the Lead MEO. The ME offices are currently open weekdays Monday - Friday, between the hours of 0730-1530.

The successful applicant will
• Provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring independent scrutiny of all deaths not referred directly to the coroner
• Improve the quality of death certification, providing advice based on a review of relevant health records
• Avoid unnecessary distress for the bereaved by answering questions about the care given or certified cause of death

Main duties of the job
• Working under delegation from the Medical Examiner (ME) or Lead MEO; the MEO will support the end process of death certification within the Medical Examiner Service. This will require a combination of skills and knowledge, compassion, sensitivity, and a commitment to engage with bereaved families.
• The MEO will review patient records to gather information for the Medical Examiner, so a good working knowledge of medical terminology and clinical understanding are necessary of both the Electronic Record and the existing paper-based processes.
• The post holder will provide administrative skills to support Medical Examiners in scrutinizing deaths ensuring necessary paperwork is accurate and complete.
• The MEO will contact the next of kin to discuss the death, to enquire about any concerns they may have about care, and to explain the proposed wording of the Death Certificate. This requires excellent communication skills. They will additionally be a point of contact and source of advice for healthcare professionals from elsewhere in the organisation and, where appropriate, Coroners' and Registration services.

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

General

Essential criteria

• Ability to organise work around changeable competing demands and fluctuating workloads, flexible working approach

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent working knowledge in related field
• A commitment to the concept of lifelong learning and undertaking personal development opportunities

Desirable criteria

• Completed e-learning Medical Examiner Officer training

Experience & knowledge

Essential criteria

• Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations, demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotive situations with empathy and understanding
• Detailed knowledge of clinical terminology
• Knowledge of the special requirements of the various faith groups with an awareness of equality and diversity issues surrounding death certification & arrangements
• Experience working in a healthcare or related setting with multi-disciplinary teams and of working across organisational boundaries

Desirable criteria

• An understanding of how clinical conditions evolve and develop
• Experience of working with bereaved families

Our commitment to you:

We are committed to equality and diversity in both the provision of our services and how we recruit and manage our staff. Applications are encouraged from everyone with the necessary attributes for the job, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

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

The paperwork:

• HHFT is committed to putting the safety and care of our patients first - as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues. Therefore, we would recommend that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 and that you understand that we are treating COVID-19 positive patients within our services.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted at least 5 working days before the scheduled interview date. Applications will be submitted directly into our preferred third party recruitment system (Trac). All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs via email - please ensure to check your junk/spam folders.
• All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.
• In compliance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate fluently in English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed as part of the selection process.
• This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. If you intend to apply you are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.
• We believe that using technology wisely reflects strong time management and a commitment to innovation. However, it's essential to personalise your recruitment application to showcase your unique skills and experiences. Over-reliance on generic, AI-generated content may result in rejection if multiple candidates submit applications with similar language or structure. In such cases, recruiting managers may reach out for further clarity where applications appear consistent with others, to better understand your individual strengths.

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