Job summary
We are looking to appoint experienced General Practitioners or Hospital Doctors (Consultants or Specialty Doctors) to join the existing Medical Examiner (ME) service.
This is aimed at completing recruitment to the existing team. The current vacancy is for Thursdays, but applications can be considered from doctors who are available on other days as there may be some flexibility possible.
This role is primarily aimed at providing timely scrutiny of deaths within the Calderdale & Kirklees area, including deaths within the community and the acute trust. The successful applicants will be expected to provide 4 hours of ME time per week. In addition to these 4 hours, an "extended hours" service will be developed prior to September 2024 to support the urgent release of MCCDs during weekends and Bank Holidays.
Main duties of the job
Scrutiny of medical records for allocated deaths to arrive at an agreed cause of death & identify any concerns. All MEs will scrutinise community & inpatient deaths alike, regardless of their clinical background is in Primary or Secondary care.
To ensure that any concerns are dealt with appropriately.
To communicate the cause of death to the bereaved relatives.
To liaise with partner organisations (coroner's office, local registrars, etc) in order to ensure smooth processes in support of death certification & regsistration.
To contribute to training & clinical governance procedures where necessary.
To ensure the independence of the ME service.
About us
It is anticipated to appoint one ME at this time. The successful applicant will join an existing team of 1 Lead ME, 10 MEs & 4 Medical Examiner's Officers (MEOs.)
This is an exciting time of expansion & development within the service. Nationally, the ME service will become fully statutory on September 9th. Thereafter, all deaths that do not require coronial referral must be scrutinized by an ME before death can be registered.
The team is "hosted" by CHFT but functions independently of it, reporting via the lead ME to the regional & national ME offices.
Currently, all MEs contribute to a weekly rota. Due to varying clinical commitments, we rely on mutual flexibility to ensure the service is covered 5 days a week. There is very much a "can do" attitude within all members of the team.
The MEO team are vital to the efficient running of the service. They coordinate case management on a day-to-day basis & are the backbone of the service in support of the MEs as they, in turn, perform scrutiny of deaths.
We are a lively, collaborative & supportive team, and we look forward to welcoming like-minded colleagues to join & strengthen our team.
Currently, there is only a weekday service, but we are in the process of developing an extended hours service (weekends and Bank Holidays.) The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to this. The full details are still in the process of being finalized, but we are expecting to provide such a service by September 2024.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Successful candidates will be expected to have completed the online ME training prior to commencing their employment. There is also face-to-face training which should be completed within 6 months of taking up the post.
To deliver 4 hours' ME work per week, as agreed with the lead ME & ME service manager.
To provide proportionate scrutiny of available medical records and arrive at a proposed cause of death & identify any concerns.
To discuss these with the relevant clinicians, to agree a cause of death (where appropriate) and sanction completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)
To offer guidance to clinicians on the completion of MCCDs, coroner's referrals etc.
To "signpost" specified deaths to appropriate clinical governance processes
To recommend appropriate cases for referral to the coroner.
To liaise with partner organisations such as His Majesty's Coroner for West Yorkshire (West) & his officers, local authority registrars, colleagues within the clinical governance, risk & legal teams to ensure that smooth processes are followed, and to promote learning from deaths wherever possible.
To discuss the circumstances & cause of death with the bereaved relatives, or to support the MEOs in so doing in straightforward cases, and to advocate on their behalves where concerns are raised.
To deal with all colleagues, partner organisations, bereaved relatives and any other service users with respect and lack of discrimination at all times.
To ensure the independence and impartiality of the ME service.
To maintain accurate and meaningful records of ME scrutiny within the ME IT systems, complying with information governance regulations.
To contribute to data sharing with the national ME office, local trust & ICB, and where deemed necessary and appropriate by the lead ME & ME service manager.
To contribute to training of medical colleagues as appropriate.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
1. MBBS, MBChB or equivalent
2. You must be must be a Medical Practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK with the General Medical Council
Desirable
3. Relevant higher degree
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential
4. A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities
5. MEs should have an up to date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes
6. Critical Appraisal Skills
Desirable
7. Ability to manage and comply with sensitive information-based processes under tight timescales with a proportionate approach.
8. Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity
Safety and Quality - Clinical Governance
Essential
9. Good communication and empathy skills with families
10. Evidence of willingness to participate in a multi-disciplinary team environment to provide an integrated service
11. Ability to work as a member of a team, both through communication and sharing workload
12. Ability to identify and disseminate examples of good practice amongst relevant colleagues.
13. Ability identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge
14. Ability to prioritise and organise workload and co-ordinate staff
15. Willingness to work flexibly to deliver clinically effective and cost effective healthcare
Desirable
16. Knowledge of local and national clinical governance systems and an understanding of how the ME can work collaboratively to improve patient safety by identifying sub-optimal clinical and organisational performance.
Personal Qualities
Essential
17. Willingness to work flexibly to deliver clinically effective and cost effective healthcare
18. To sustain professional integrity and independence at all times, particularly where there is the potential for a conflict of interest.
19. Have the resilience to manage own reaction to frequently distressing situations and support others within the team.
20. Understands self (strengths and weaknesses) and impact of behaviour on others
21. Pro-active and self-motivated
Desirable
22. Evidence of continual learning and development
General
Essential
23. Eligibility to work in the UK
24. Ability to work in various locations throughout the network of services provided by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
25. EPP Clearance (Exposure Prone Procedures), this will also be a requirement of the health screening
26. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required with the