This post will report to the Senior Medical Examiner Officer and will assist with all administrative aspects of Medical Examiner (ME) Office at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust dealing with both hospital and community deaths.
The post holder will assist with the administration of the ME office for all hospital and community deaths requiring professional and sympathetic dealings with families of deceased patients, which will include accompanying families at viewings, supporting families through the process, assessing documentation and providing advice.
The post holder will work with the Medical Examiner Officers and Medical Examiners to provide an efficient administrative function and will give a positive and friendly welcome to visitors to the department. This includes in-person, on the telephone, and digitally.
Main duties of the job
The ME Service is responsible for independently scrutinising deaths that occur within the hospital and community. Additionally, the ME service is available to offer advice and support to medical staff on the completion of the Medical Certificate for the Cause of Death (MCCD). The team works closely with the Plymouth Coroner Service, the Plymouth Registration Service, and local Funeral Directors to ensure the bereaved have access to all the information and services required.
This role and post-holder will report to the Senior Medical Examining Officer and will provide administrative support to the ME team.
Due to the nature of the ME Service, the post holder will be required to liaise with bereaved families ensuring that information is shared sensitively and effectively in an empathetic manner at a time where there may be barriers to understanding due to grief or disability.
The post holder may deal with challenging situations and must be able to demonstrate professionalism at all times. The post holder will be required to attend the hospital mortuary to collect paperwork and facilitate viewings for the deceased for bereaved relatives.
About us
We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100.
We recognise that work-life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full-time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Job responsibilities
* Work under the guidance and support of the Senior Medical Examiner Officer to provide administration support to them and the Medical Examiners.
* To have access to patient and/or staff identifiable confidential data and therefore understand the responsibilities of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.
* Welcome all to the office in a friendly, polite, professional and timely manner, providing a reception service for the ME office and dealing with general enquiries.
* Respond and/or redirect Doctor and wider Trust staff enquiries, either face-to-face or by phone/e-mail, in a helpful and timely way.
* Answer incoming telephone calls, ensuring calls are documented and redirected accordingly using the Trusts call system Netcall, responding to messages in a timely manner.
* Collecting the notices of death from the mortuary.
* Liaise with wards and medical staff for the completion of the Medical Certificates for the Cause of Death (MCCD).
* Collecting paperwork from the wards when required.
* Use the Patient Information Management System in support of all Medical Examiner activities typically, enquiries, medical notes tracing, etc.
* Facilitating viewings for the deceased for next of kin in the Sir Jules Thorn Viewing Suite.
* Monitor the email inbox and respond to queries.
* Accurate data input and record-keeping in the Medical Examiner database.
* Responsible for ensuring the office stationery is ordered and stocks are monitored. When deliveries arrive, these are put away in a timely manner.
* Photocopy and scan Medical Examiner forms, pregnancy loss forms and other documents.
* Scan the MCCD to the Register Office and completing the family release paperwork and emailing to the Funeral Director.
* Distribute the incoming post as appropriate on a daily basis.
* Undertake general office duties such as filing, data input, answering telephones, photocopying / scanning.
* Where there is no next of kin, arrange for Finders searches to be undertaken to locate next of kin.
* Where there are no funds available for the costs of a funeral, liaise with families to support the process for applying for fund through the Department of Work and Pensions.
* Place orders through the Trusts E-PROC system for contract funeral arrangements and baby funerals, ensuring the monthly baby internment paperwork is sent to the Trusts funeral director in a timely manner.
* Request Structured Judgement Reviews with the Service Lines and monitor compliance on the database.
* Ensure appropriate levels of stock for the bereavement folders and MCCD death books are available for the wards.
COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
* Represent the Medical Examiners Office, Patient Services Team and wider Quality Governance regarding any enquiries into the office, or requests for support.
* Raise staff awareness of the role and function of Medical Examiner office. Develop effective working relationships with a range of staff, both clinical and non-clinical, crucial to the operational delivery of the service.
* Maintain excellent communication and relations between the Medical Examiner Office and Doctors and departments and requesting consultants, GPs, other requestors and external agencies.
* Respond to the requests for information in a polite, helpful and concise manner and to ensure and respect patient confidentiality at all times.
* Undertake appropriate mandatory training.
* Maintain high professional standards by continual professional development.
* Ensure that the service is provided in a caring and supportive manner and, where necessary, referring clients on to the appropriate agencies for further information and support.
* Responsibility for the accuracy and safekeeping of all departmental registers.
* Assist the Patient Services Manager with any Freedom of Information requests in relation to the Trusts bereavement and Medical Examiner processes.
OTHER
* Ensure all data is managed and stored in line with data protection and relevant Trust policies.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Good standard of education
* GCSE A-D grade (or equivalent) in English and Maths
* Completion of the Medical Examiner Modules by the time employment starts
* NVQ Level 2/3 in Business Administration
Knowledge and Experience
* Proven Evidence of experience of effective team working
* Demonstrable experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
* Common sense approach to problem solving
* Demonstrable Experience or proven knowledge of using databases to record volunteering information, and of systems in use within the NHS
* Demonstrable Experience of using Microsoft Office packages
* General proven knowledge of clinical/medical terminology
* Demonstrable Experience of working in a healthcare setting
* Demonstrable Experience of using DATIX
* Demonstrable Experience of dealing directly with patients and their representatives on healthcare matters, bereavement, concerns or complaints
* Demonstrable Experience of the Medical Examiner Service
* Demonstrable Experience of the Registry office processes for registering a death
* Demonstrable Experience and understanding of the Coronial legislation
Aptitude and Abilities
* Good interpersonal skills, with knowledge and understanding of professional / personal boundaries, confidentiality, and safeguarding procedures
* Ability to communicate well with a wide ranging audience including bereaved relatives, frontline staff, service managers and patients
* Able to prioritise a range of tasks
* Good written and oral communication skills
* Good organisation and, time management and prioritisation skills
* Demonstrates respect for other people with different backgrounds and opinions
* Committed to promoting equality and diversity
* Demonstrable Experience of being able to respond when working under pressure
* Ability to work using own initiative with minimum supervision
* Be able to prioritise workload and possess effective time management skills.
* Able to deal with information in a confidential manner and respond sensitively to the opinion of others.
* Methodical and systematic approach to work, involving close attention to detail
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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