Medical Examiner Officer

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will work closely with other Medical Examiner Officers, the team of Medical Examiner clinicians and the Bereavement team to provide a robust servce in line with national requirements.

You will support the Trust's Medical Examiners in their role to scrutinise the circumstances and causes of death for all death across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

You will be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals, HM coroner and registration services, therefore, excellent communication skills are essential in order to communicate professionally and effectively in difficult and emotional situations.

The successful candidate will be educated to Bachelor's degree level, or have evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level.

You will have a good understanding of medical terminology, be computer literate and have a good working knowledge of Microsoft excel.

You will be able to apply good problem solving skills and be able to balance multiple complex work streams, ensuring the general flow of the office is maintained effectively and efficiently.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to Batchelor's degree level or equivalent working knowledge in related field
• 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 criteria

• Degree (BA/BSc) in Business or Clinical related studies
• Professional Registration (Clinical)

Communication and relationship skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to communicate effectively and build good relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved, face to face, by telephone and email
• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism
• Excellent written & verbal communication skills to produce accurate correspondence
• Able to work as part of a team, co-operating to work together and in conjunction with others and willing to help and assist wherever possible and appropriate

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working effectively with key administrative and senior clinical staff
• Experience of working in a bereavement setting or equivalent environment (i.e. safeguarding, end of life care)

Analytical and Judgement skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to apply good problem-solving skills, e.g., in balancing multiple complex work streams Ability to apply good problem-solving skills, e.g., in balancing multiple complex work streams
• Ability to work without direct supervision, prioritising work and acting on own initiative where appropriate; pre- empting problems and working to solve them in an appropriate manner and escalating as applicable
• Experience of review, collation and synthesis of information

Desirable criteria

• Critical Analysis and Report Writing

Skills

Essential criteria

• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders
• Competent user of MS Office packages, specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail
• The ability to work in a highly pressurised, unpredictable environment where bereavement care is central to the service delivery
• Positive attitude to dealing with change; flexible and adaptable, willing to change and accept change and to explore new ways of doing things and approaches
• Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of various faith groups' funeral wishes/practices to enable respectful compliance with tight and specific timescales and procedures
• Advanced level in Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Expertise in inputting and interrogating spreadsheets and databases to extract and analyse data

Planning and organisation skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to work in a demanding environment involving complex and multiple processes against time related targets
• Ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands and to adapt quickly to changing priorities Ability to be proactive and plan ahead, to allow for fluctuations in demand
• Ability to cope with interruptions from others or need to change tasks at short notice

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Essential criteria

• Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs
• All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high-quality care and interactions with others

Other requirements specific to the role: Physical skills

Essential criteria

• Cross site working
• Walking between offices
• Able to undertake light physical duties i.e., retrieve and carry patient medical records
• Ability and willingness to adopt a flexible approach to work on the occasions it may be required

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

Essential criteria

• Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's Values and Behaviours

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working independently within own area of specialism with minimal supervision
• Proven experience of working in a busy office/administration environment
• Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
• Experience of working in a service. where users may have unpredictable and emotionally charged need or day to day contact with people in sensitive and emotional situations
• Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following a death
• Good understanding of medical terminology that enables informed discussions about causes/circumstances of death with bereaved families, clinicians, coroner and registration service staff
• Experience of planning a broad programme of activities and prioritising work to meet deadlines
• Experience of maintaining confidentiality and secure handling of highly sensitive data and/or patient identifiable data.
• Using databases for inputting and extracting information
• Knowledge of the statutory process around death certification legal frameworks and how the medical examiner system aligns with other related organisations and NHS initiatives

Desirable criteria

• NHS experience within the administrative field at a Band 3
• Clinical Practice at Registration Level or above
• Worked in Coroner's Office, Medical Examiner Office, Patient Safety Team, Inquest Team or M&M Process
• Knowledge of the Coroner & Justice Act 2009 reference to the medical examiner system. Full understanding of the medical examiner system operational remit when incorporated within Bereavement Services or as a stand-alone office.
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi- disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries

Additional Information

Please submit your application form without delay to avoid disappointment; we will close vacancies prior to the publishing closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Please check the email account (including your junk mail) that you supplied as part of your application on a regular basis following the closing date and throughout the recruitment process, as this is how we will communicate with you.

UHL is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who match our job criteria.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

UHL is committed to helping colleagues balance the demands of both their work and personal needs through flexible working arrangements wherever reasonably practicable and subject to service needs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The Trust will pay for the check initially and the money will then be deducted from your salary over a three month period commencing on your first month's payment.

The current price of a check is £38 for an enhanced and £18 for a standard check.

COVID 19 Risk Assessment

Due to the current Covid pandemic we have introduced a staff risk assessment into our pre-employment process. This now forms part of the mandatory pre-employment checks that will be carried out if you receive a conditional offer.

The risk assessment is intended to ensure you are able to safely perform your duties in any of our work areas, and if you have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Our main aim is to reduce risk and to ensure the safety of all new starters to the Trust as well as current staff, patients and visitors.

If it is identified that you are within a vulnerable category, we will endeavor to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this through discussions with both Occupational Health and your recruiting manager.

Covid Vaccination Status

Covid-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, family, colleagues and our patients/service users from the Covid-19 virus. We therefore continue to encourage our current and potential colleagues to get vaccinated.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust holds the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does and all that it stands for. We are committed to developing a workforce that is representative of the community we serve. We welcome applications from the diverse community of Leicester, Leicester and Rutland, to help deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of our diverse communities.

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