Job summary
The post holder will work alongside the Senior Medical Examiner Officer in supporting the Hospital Medical Examiners, in ensuring a robust death certification system, providing assurance to the bereaved relatives through appropriate discussion regarding circumstances and cause of death. The post holder will support the Medical Examiners in the legislative requirements following a patient and community death, working in close association with the Senior Medical Examiner Officer and Medical Examiners in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death, reporting deaths to the District Coroner and liaising with the coroner's service on a daily basis.
Main duties of the job
To act as an intermediary between the Bereaved families, Senior MEO and Medical Examiners in order to assess/establish if there are any concerns relating to death/hospital care.
To give support in the integration and implementation of systems and processes relating to the ME role service and the national learning from death strategy. To work in liaison and communicative links between the Senior MEO, Medical Examiners, Consultants, Juniors doctors and bereavement officers.
Will liaise with Consultants and junior doctors in relation to the circumstances of death and to assist in training, giving guidance to junior doctors in the death certification process.
To work collaboratively with the Senior MEO, Medical Examiner's and Trust leads with internal and external stake holders for the purpose of ensuring statutory requirements are maintained.
To ensure that the Medical Examiner Service and LFD processes, principles and standards are maintained, engaging and accessing information required for contributing to national and internal death reporting requirements.
While also doing the Mandatory Scrutiny of Community Deaths, working with GPs, care homes and any other community providers.
About us
Our Organisation
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) provides a full range of general acute, outpatient and diagnostic services at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, the Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop's Stortford, and St Margaret's Hospital in Epping.
We employ 3,500 staff and serve a local population of around 350,000 people living in west Essex and east Hertfordshire, centred on the M11 corridor and the towns of Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Epping. Our extended catchment area incorporates a population of up to 500,000 and includes the areas of Hoddesdon, Cheshunt and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.
Our Values
The Princess Alexandra Promise to our patients as identified by our 3 values which will contribute to improving our patient experiences:
Patient at heart - Always holding the patient and their wellbeing at the centre of our thoughts and efforts
Everyday excellence - Sharing and celebrating our successes, being honest when we get it wrong, giving us the ability to learn from both
Creative collaboration - Knowing strength comes from diversity, we combine our experiences, skills and talents, working together to find new and better ways to care
The Trust believes in investing in all our staff and rewarding high standards of care whilst building for excellence and in return we expect our staff to uphold the Trust values to the highest level.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job description and person specification for the full job details. This is available to download at any time.
Previous applicants need not apply
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience.
Essential
1. Knowledge of Medical Examiners Service,
Desirable
2. To be of a empathetic, understanding, patient and considerate nature
Qualifications & Training
Essential
3. Experience of Bereavement and evidence of practical experience
4. Knowledge of Medical Examiners Service
5. Experience of working in a hospital/ healthcare setting with multidisciplinary teams across organisational boundaries
6. Experience of working in a customer-facing service where users may have unpredictable and emotionally charged needs
7. Maintains and develops own knowledge and skills through appraisal, participation in further training in order to sustain and enhance a high quality service to patients
8. Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations
9. To be of an empathetic, understanding, patient and considerate nature
10. Good proven verbal communication and interpersonal skills
11. Maintains and develops own knowledge and skills through appraisal, participation in further training in order to sustain and enhance a high quality service to patients
12. Computer literate to use multiple IT software
13. Ability to deal confidentially, tactfully and effectively with people at all levels both within and outside the Trust
14. Be able to listen to others and represent their views and concerns
15. Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities, with excellent organisational skills
16. Accept responsibility for own area of work and demonstrate a creative and inspirational approach to problem solving
17. Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to deputise for senior ME officer at short notice
18. Approachable and supportive to all levels of staff and bereaved families in a non-judgemental and discreet manner
19. Professional appearance, manner and awareness of impact of own behaviour on others
20. Emotional effort & Key stressors: There is significant emotional effort associated with dealing with bereaved families
21. Ability to maintain a calm manner in a range of challenging and emotive circumstances and be able to deal with highly emotional and u setting situations
22. Knowledge of the statutory process around death certification legal frameworks
23. Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post
Desirable
24. Experience of working with bereaved families
25. related organisational and NHS initiatives
26. An understanding of medical terminology that enables informed discussions about causes/circumstances of death with bereaved families, clinicians, coroners and registration staff
27. Knowledge of special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following death
28. Knowledge of the Coroner & Justice Act 2009 reference to medical examiner system