We have an exciting opportunity to expand our medical examiner service as we begin to provide scrutiny for deaths in the non-acute setting.
The current medical examiner service has been established since September 2021 providing scrutiny for all Southport and Ormskirk Hospital inpatient deaths and is one of the highest performing offices in the region. Our Medical Examiners are supported by a lead medical examiner and a lead medical examiners officer.
The service is expanding into the local non acute setting providing scrutiny for deaths occurring within Queens Court Hospice and the local Clinical Commissioning Group areas of Southport, Formby and West Lancashire.
We are a supportive, experienced and dynamic team from a range of clinical backgrounds; and we are now looking to recruit new medical practitioners to the team.
Applications are encouraged from Consultants, GP Principals and senior career-grade doctors of all specialties, particularly those with experience of community medicine.
You will be supported by the team as we grow the service. Training is provided by the Royal College of Pathologists with peer support being provided in the new role by the existing medical examiners. This is a highly rewarding role that provides essential safeguards within the death certification process, provides support to the bereaved, supports correct referral to HM Coroner and supports the identification of system wide learning.
Medical examiners (MEs) are appropriately trained doctors who will verify clinical information on Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs) and ensure that the right referrals are made to the coroner for further investigation. A practising medical practitioner who has been on the general medical council register for a minimum of five years post registration can apply to be a medical examiner. It is recommended that medical examiners are consultant grade doctors from a range of disciplines (including GP principals). MEs will take a consistent approach to the formulation of MCCD content, which must be clinically accurate and reflect any discussions with the next of kin/informant. MEs must not have been involved in the care of the deceased patients for deaths they scrutinise.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
KEY DUTIES
· Work with medical examiners and the Lead Medical examiner Officer to aid them in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the locality.
· To establish the circumstances of individual patient deaths by performing a preliminary review of medical records to identify clinical and circumstantial information, sourcing additional details where required, for scrutiny by the medical examiner, highlighting to the Medical Examiner any inconsistences or areas of concern noted.
· To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish and resolve
· any concerns relating to a patient’s death.
· To work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders for the purposes of ensuring statutory requirements are maintained.
· To be able to work on his/her own initiative, referring to the Lead Medical Examiner Officer when necessary.
· To liaise with the bereavement team as required in relation to keeping the bereaved informed and arrangements to issue the death certificate to them.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
· Maintain an awareness of the diverse needs of users of the medical examiner system to ensure equality to any particular group defined by sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
· Judgment is required involving matters and concerns which are complex that will require consideration of the options available.
· To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR) or other organisational governance systems.
· Keep accurate and contemporaneous records.
· The post holder is not directly supervised although advice is available from the Senior Medical Examiner’s Officer, and from the Medical Examiner. The MEO must work closely with the Medical Examiner in relation to the delegated duties.
· To contribute to and review departmental policies and procedures to reflect best practice in the delivery of an independent medical examiner system.
· Provide support, information and explanations around the statutory requirements for Coroner’s post-mortems, including the procedures for the release of the deceased.
· To maintain an awareness of the diverse needs of users of the medical examiner system to ensure equality to any particular group defined by sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
· To be aware of the Safeguarding Adult and Child frameworks and processes and liaise as required.
· To work collaboratively with the Medical Examiner, PALS and Bereavement Services to ensure bereaved relatives are supported advised and to establish, resolve and escalate appropriately any concerns the bereaved may have.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
· To utilise the Trust’s data systems and those of community partners to access all relevant records including the PAS and Pathology systems.
· To utilise and maintain the Medical Examiner Service database and support the implementation of the National Medical Examiner’s data base.
· To refer patients to the coroner for further investigation on approval by the medical examiner.
· To observe arrangements for storing records of medical examiner scrutiny comply with relevant data protection legislation and the policies of the trust where the medical examiner office is based.
· In liaison with the Bereavement Team to provide information to the family and visitors regarding the arrangements to be made following the death.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
· A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
RESEARCH & AUDIT
· To contribute to and review departmental policies and procedures to reflect best practice in the delivery of an independent medical examiner system.
This advert closes on Wednesday 5 Mar 2025
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