We are pleased to announce an opportunity to join the Medical Examiner team, based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, providing a Medical Examiner service covering the Gateshead hospital and community area.
There are 2 vacancies for 0.5 PA (4 hours alternate weeks) predominantly delivered on Thursday afternoons, with the proviso of some flexibility to cover service requirements due to annual leave.
There may be a limited on-call rota for weekend cover required in the future.
These posts are open to doctors from any specialty or clinical background, whether working in hospital, community or elsewhere, who have a minimum of 5 years of post GMC registration clinical experience, and specialty qualifications. Training is provided via the Royal College of Pathologists following appointment.
Main duties of the job
Ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current processes of certification, investigation (by coroners) and registration of deaths within the Local Authority area.
About us
The Medical Examiner service consists currently of a Lead Medical Examiner, 8 Medical Examiners, and four Medical Examiner Officers. New Medical Examiners will be supported by the Lead Medical Examiner.
The Medical Examiner service has been running at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital since September 2020, 5 days a week, excluding Bank Holidays, scrutinising all deaths in Gateshead, other than those directly referred to the coroner. This post is to replace a medical examiner who is standing down.
The Medical Examiner role will appeal to doctors who are passionate about quality improvement, learning from events, improving care for patients and experiences for relatives, and supporting junior doctors in training. It requires a broad knowledge of medicine, good analytical and IT skills, and integrity.
Job responsibilities
* Support those doctors who call for medical advice on suspected natural causes of death before they prepare an MCCD, and provide general medical advice to the coroner;
* Scrutinise the certified causes of all in-scope deaths in a way that is compliant with the law and national guidance;
* Maintain proportionate records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis and provide information as required to ONS & locally for clinical governance purposes;
* Work with the other medical examiners in the QEH ME office to arrange reciprocal cover for holidays and other periods of absence and also to ensure that there is no potential conflict of interest between the medical examiner and the death being scrutinised;
* Explain to bereaved relatives the cause of death in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner which respects different faith, cultural, ethnic and diversity considerations;
* Support the training of junior doctors in completion of MCCDs and provide feedback on accuracy of certification locally if required.
Person Specification
Professional Qualifications
* Full GMC registration with a licence to practice in the UK with at least 5 years' of GMC registered experience (whole time equivalent)
* Inclusion on the Specialist or General Practice register.
* Membership of relevant Colleges
Professional Training
* Royal college or other post-graduate qualification
* Completion of E-learning for Healthcare Medical Examiner modules.
* 5 years whole time equivalent of working in clinical practice in the UK post GMC registration
* Ability to communicate clearly and empathically with bereaved families in a way they will understand.
* Ability to communicate clearly (spoken and electronic) with colleagues, attending doctors and other relevant contacts.
Teaching
* Evidence of formal and informal contributions to teaching and training.
Clinical Governance and audit
* Evidence of participation in quality improvement activity.
* Experience of using mortality reviews or clinical incident investigations to share learning and improve delivery of care.
Personal Attributes
* Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development
Organisational and Management
* Track record of good IT skills, the ability to use digital information systems.
* Track record of good analytical skills to assimilate information from multiple sources in a timely manner.
* Good time management skills, ability to multitask and to prioritise tasks in limited time.
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.
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