Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The role of Medical Examiner was proposed as a result of the Shipman Inquiry & several other high-profile inquiries, to provide independent scrutiny of the circumstances of all non-coronial deaths, both within acute hospitals & those that occur in the community. Medical Examiners offer one session per week alongside their other senior medical posts, either as a GP or Senior Hospital Doctor. During this session, they examine the circumstances of hospital & community deaths based on available information, liaise with Attending Practitioners to agree on a cause of death or refer to the Coroner when appropriate. They provide the bereaved an opportunity to ask questions & understand when to refer cases for governance review. They may also provide advice to the Coroner to assist in determining whether a Coroner's investigation is required. Medical Examiners countersign the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death after it is completed by the Attending Practitioner.
Additional training is required to equip Medical Examiners with the detailed knowledge needed for the role. This training is available online through E-Learning for Health & requires a commitment to ongoing learning. Two posts are available for one session each, on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings. The successful applicants will join the North Northamptonshire Medical Examiner Service, based at Kettering General Hospital. This department includes 10 Medical Examiners and 3 Medical Examiner Officers.
Main duties of the job
The role covers all acute hospital deaths at KGH and non-coronial deaths within the North Northamptonshire district. Two Medical Examiners are needed to replace retiring members, each for one session on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings.
Medical Examiners act as independent reviewers of patient deaths, liaising with the attending team or General Practitioner to ensure accurate completion of the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) or referring cases to the Coroner as necessary. They communicate with the bereaved to address any concerns, collaborate with Medical Examiner Officers, Mortuary Staff, the Coroner, and Registration Services, & highlight learning opportunities through governance processes. They may also recommend more detailed reviews, such as SJR's.
Applicants must have a minimum of 5 years post-full registration, & commit to a regular weekly session. GPs & experienced hospital doctors in substantive career posts are encouraged to apply. Completion of mandatory training via e-Learning for Health is required before the interview, alongside a commitment to complete the national Face-to-Face training & additional modules as needed.
Medical Examiners maintain professional independence while scrutinising deaths but are accountable to the Medical Director & report to the Lead Medical Examiner & the Regional & National Medical Examiners.
About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close any adverts before the closing date once we have received sufficient applications.
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.
Our Excellence Values
* Compassion
* Accountability
* Respect
* Integrity
* Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential.
The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.
We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.
We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.
Job responsibilities
1. To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths.
2. An empathetic and sensitive approach when liaising with bereaved relatives.
3. To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol.
4. To discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner. It is anticipated that such discussions will be predominately conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding information may exist.
5. To ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
6. To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office.
7. To participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care.
8. To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs.
9. To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate.
10. To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region.
11. To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Medical Practitioner with a licence to practice in the UK and a minimum of 5 years full GMC Registration.
* Successful completion of the core 26 modules of the national on-line Medical Examiner curriculum.
* Membership/Fellowship of a Royal College.
Knowledge/Experience
* Broad experience of clinical medicine across a range of specialties relevant to general practice or hospital medicine, ideally within a long-term substantive career grade post.
* A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities, including completing all necessary additional ME training in a timely fashion.
* IT skills including use of email and commonly used software, and electronic patient records.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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