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Main area: Administrative and Clerical
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 5
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part time - 33.5 hours per week (Thursday and Friday with flexible)
Job ref: 409-6993144
Site: Southport DGH
Town: Southport
Salary: £29,970 - £36,483 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: Today at 23:59
Interview date: 21/03/2025
Job overview
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.
Main duties of the job
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.
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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.
* 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 inconsistencies or areas of concern noted.
* Act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish and resolve any concerns relating to a patient’s death.
* Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders for the purposes of ensuring statutory requirements are maintained.
* Be able to work on his/her own initiative, referring to the Lead Medical Examiner Officer when necessary.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* Be aware of the Safeguarding Adult and Child frameworks and processes and liaise as required.
* 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
* Utilise the Trust’s data systems and those of community partners to access all relevant records including the PAS and Pathology systems.
* Utilise and maintain the Medical Examiner Service database and support the implementation of the National Medical Examiner’s database.
* Refer patients to the coroner for further investigation on approval by the medical examiner.
* 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
* Contribute to and review departmental policies and procedures to reflect best practice in the delivery of an independent medical examiner system.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Educated to Bachelor’s degree level, or evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level of clinical governance or investigative practice.
* Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post.
* A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
Knowledge & Experience
* Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
* General knowledge of clinical/medical terminology.
* Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries.
* Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following a death.
* Knowledge of the Coroner & Justice Act 2009 reference to the medical examiner system. Full understanding of the medical examiner system operational remit when incorporated within Bereavement Services or as a stand-alone office.
Skills
* The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved.
* Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders.
* Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities.
* Competent in the use of IT software systems and handling sensitive personal identifiable data.
* Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to deputise for senior MEO often at short notice.
* Approachable and supportive to all levels of staff and bereaved families in a non-judgemental and discreet manner.
* Ability to maintain a calm manner in a range of challenging and emotive circumstances.
Other
* Use of computer for periods significant in time.
* There is significant emotional effort associated with dealing with bereaved families.
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective, and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under-represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, 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.
Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.
If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enroll for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
* All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
* There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
* Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognize staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals, we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.
The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behavior examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated.
Additional Information
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.
An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Name: Dr. Christopher Goddard
Job title: Lead Medical examiner
Email address: Chris.Goddard@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
Telephone number: 01704 704509
Additional information: Contact will be to the main office number.
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