Medical Examiner Officer for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire - Band 5
Would you like to be part of a specialist team with responsibility across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire?
Do you have an interest in improving care for patients at the end of their life, informing public health policy, and providing bereaved families with support and peace of mind?
As a Medical Examiner Officer, you'll be part of a recently implemented service that provides independent scrutiny of all deaths across the area. You'll work with a multidisciplinary team both internally and externally including Medical Examiners and other medical staff, HM Coroner's Office, Bereavement Services staff, and Registration Services, as well as having close contact with bereaved families.
Why apply for this role?
* You will be part of a new, developing NHS service with plenty of opportunity for personal and professional growth and an impact on service improvement
* Highly rewarding role contributing to patient safety, improving the experience of bereaved families, and informing national health policy by ensuring accurate cause of death statistics
* Chance to be part of a varied and skilled multidisciplinary team with a high level of autonomy and responsibility
Main duties of the job
The role of the Medical Examiner Officer
The role of the Medical Examiner Officer is to support Medical Examiners in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. As a Medical Examiner Officer, you will:
* Undertake a review of patients' medical records to assist the Medical Examiner in their scrutiny
* Discuss the case and assist in the formulation of causes of death with the qualified attending medical practitioners (QAPs) and Medical Examiners
* Provide an explanation of the cause of death to the bereaved, identifying and gathering information and answering questions relating to their concerns
* Relay the Medical Examiner's thoughts and advice to medical professionals, Coroner's Offices, Registration Services, and the bereaved
* Be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare, coroner, and registration services about the Medical Examiner function.
About us
The Medical Examiner (ME) Service
The Medical Examiner Service is an independent service working under the direction of the Department of Health and Social Care, which aims to:
* Strengthen safeguards for the public by providing robust, systematic and independent scrutiny of all deaths not referred directly to the Coroner, provide intelligent analysis and system level reporting of concerns found during scrutiny and ensure that appropriate deaths are referred to HM Coroner
* Improve the quality of death certification by providing expert advice to doctors based on a review of relevant health records
* Avoid unnecessary distress for the bereaved by answering questions about the certified cause of death, the care given, or those that arise from unexpected delays when registering a death.
Medical Examiners are senior doctors who undertake independent scrutiny of deaths in order to establish an accurate cause of death and identify cases where the circumstances surrounding that death require further investigation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Skills required for this role
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to liaise with colleagues across ME Offices over the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area, multidisciplinary teams of doctors and nurses, bereaved families, and Coroners' and Registration services
* Strong administrative and computer skills with good attention to detail
* A good working knowledge of medical terminology and clinical understanding is essential
* Experience in clinical or bereavement care, working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
* Excellent time management skills, with the ability to work with competing demands and changing priorities
* A commitment to personal development and the development and maintenance of a highly successful Medical Examiner Service across BNSSG.
The Medical Examiner Officer role is a highly responsible, challenging, and involved role, and will therefore also require a dedicated and driven applicant.
Applicants must have undertaken the mandatory Royal College of Pathologists Medical Examiner e-learning modules (available here: https://www.rcpath.org/profession/medical-examiners/train-to-become-a-medical-examiner-officer.html). Once in post, Medical Examiner Officers will undergo formal training appropriate to the role, as provided by the Royal College of Pathologists and via completion of a training programme portfolio and competence assessment, which must be completed within 12 months of starting in post. The role requires continuous training as part of a lifelong learning role and continuous professional development.
The successful candidate(s) will be primarily based at one or both North Bristol Trust Medical Examiner Offices (Southmead Hospital and Frenchay). The role will require multi-site working and travel to other sites in Bristol and Weston to provide cover across the system, dependent on staffing and the location of cases.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* Educated to degree level/equivalent working knowledge in a related field
* Completed e-Learning for Health MEO core training modules
* A commitment to the concept of lifelong learning and undertaking personal development opportunities
Knowledge and experience
Essential
* Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
* Experience of working with bereaved families or in a clinical setting with patients and relatives
* General knowledge of clinical/medical terminology
Desirable
* Working knowledge or experience of the Medical Examiner system
* Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries
Skills
Essential
* Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy, understanding and professionalism
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage at all levels, including with senior clinicians/coroners and the recently bereaved, about sensitive issues
* Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team
* Ability to organise work around changeable competing demands and fluctuating workloads, with a demonstrable ability to work to deadlines and achieve agreed objectives
* Competent in the use of IT software systems and handling sensitive personal identifiable data
Desirable
* Experienced user of NHS digital clinical and patient administration systems
Personal qualities
Essential
* Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to deputise for LMEO at short notice
* Approachable and supportive to all levels of staff and the bereaved in a non-judgemental and discreet manner, appreciating and adhering to principles of confidentiality
* Has professional manner and attitude, with awareness of impact of own behaviour on others
* Flexible working approach and a team player
* Ability to maintain a calm manner in a range of challenging and emotive circumstances
Qualifications
Essential
* Completion of the Royal College of Pathologists face-to-face MEO training, or a commitment to do so within 6 months of starting in post
Knowledge and experience
Essential
* An understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes, including knowledge of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (where it relates to death certification and the Medical Examiner system)
Desirable
* Knowledge of the specific requirements of the various faith groups with a respect for equality and diversity issues surrounding arrangements following a death
Employer details
Employer name
North Bristol NHS Trust
Address
Southmead Hospital, North Bristol Trust Frenchay site
Bristol
BS10 5NB
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