Find out about the current vacancies available at the Trust and take the next step in your career with us.
Main area: Administration
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 5
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Up to 37.5 hours)
Job ref: 345-COR7074426
Site: University Hospital of North Tees
Town: Stockton on Tees
Salary: £29,970 - £36,483 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 21/04/2025 23:59
We are on a continuous journey of improvement and transformation; however, our main priority is, and always will be, providing safe and high-quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. If you share our passion then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients’ experience the best it can possibly be.
With a budget of around £365m, three hospitals and 5,500 staff, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.
Job overview
We are expanding our team of Medical Examiner Officers to enable scrutiny of all patient and community deaths. The Medical Examiner Officer supports the Medical Examiner in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. In addition, they are a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals and coroner and registration services. The nature of the job is such that it demands high standards of integrity. It is essential that you have good interpersonal skills with the ability to show empathy and deal sensitively with bereaved families.
We welcome applications from candidates educated to Bachelor’s degree level, or evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level; this might include nursing and/or other clinical experience. Please note, candidates must have completed the mandatory e-learning MEO core training modules (free of charge) prior to starting in the post. Although currently delivered between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, this is subject to change as the service develops and may include evening and weekend working.
Please note this post will be closed early once a sufficient amount of applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
1. To work as part of a team to aid medical examiners in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation and wider community.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. To discuss likely content of medical certificate of cause of death with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations but would be fully supported by the Medical Examiner of the day and Lead MEO.
6. To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are dealt with in a timely manner and forwarded to the appropriate support service such as Patient Safety or Patient Experience for further investigation or input.
Working for our organisation
At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust our main priority is, and always will be, to provide safe and high-quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. We want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience. We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development. Staff recognition is very important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Star and Team of the month, colleague recognition a note of thanks, Managers Awards, Shining Stars and Service Awards.
We recruit for values and Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job Purpose
To support medical examiners and MEO’s in their role in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of acute and primary care deaths. To be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals, Coroner and registration services, bereavement services and mortuary.
Key Duties/Responsibilities
1. To work as part of a team to aid medical examiners in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation and wider community.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. To discuss likely content of medical certificate of cause of death with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations but would be fully supported by the Medical Examiner of the day and Lead MEO.
6. To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are dealt with in a timely manner and forwarded to the appropriate support service such as Patient Safety or Patient Experience for further investigation or input.
7. Demonstrate commitment to IWL principles and flexible working patterns, to meet the needs of the service and staff.
8. Tackle discrimination and harassment, and promote equality and diversity in the workplace.
9. Reduce sickness absence; work place accidents; and promote zero tolerance on violence against staff.
10. Take responsibility for personal development and education and the development of a Personal Development Plan.
Knowledge, skills and experience required:
1. Educated to Bachelor’s degree level, or evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level; this might include nursing and/or other clinical experience.
2. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
3. Empathetic and self-awareness skills to deal with bereaved families who may have barriers to understanding information due to grief or disability.
4. To have an understanding of medical terminology that enables informed discussions about causes/circumstances of death with bereaved families, clinicians, coroner and registration service staff.
5. Knowledge of the statutory process around death certification legal frameworks and how the medical examiner system aligns with other related organisations and NHS initiatives.
6. The ability to work in a highly pressurised, unpredictable environment where bereavement care is central to the service delivery.
7. Knowledge of various faith groups’ funeral wishes/practices to enable respectful compliance with tight and specific timescales and procedures.
8. Computer literate to use multiple IT software for recording personal identifiable data and producing statistical information.
Key Result Areas:
1. Ability to manage conflicting demands, prioritise tasks and deal with queries as they arise.
2. Identify relatives’ concerns and escalate them appropriately.
3. Accurate and timely, preliminary review of medical records to identify clinical and circumstantial information, sourcing additional details where required, for scrutiny by the medical examiner.
4. Full compliance with secure handling of patient identifiable data is essential.
5. Proactive and self-motivated.
Communications and Key Working Relationships:
Internal
* Medical Examiners.
* Bereavement Support Officers.
* Service managers, nurses, clinical governance leads, infection control and mortuary.
External
* Primary care doctors and practice staff.
* HM Coroner and officers.
* Spiritual/Faith community leads.
* Registrars of births and deaths.
* Bereaved relatives, carers and executors/solicitors.
* Funeral Directors.
* National Medical Examiner.
* Regional ME teams.
Control of Infection
Be aware of, and comply with, all Trust infection prevention and control policies, to include hand hygiene, personal hygiene, environmental and food hygiene. To undertake annual training/updates in infection prevention and control. To be accountable for implementation of Code of Practice within own department/area of responsibility.
The most challenging part of the job
Regular interaction with the bereaved relatives in person or over the telephone. The post holder must have the ability to demonstrate empathy and remain professional at all times.
Physical Effort and Working Conditions:
There is significant emotional effort associated with dealing with bereaved families. To use a computer for prolonged periods of time daily.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Bachelors degree or evidenced equivalent experience.
* Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post.
Experience
* Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
* Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following a death.
Skills
* 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.
**Please note - Once sufficient applications have been received this vacancy may close early**
Please check your email address on a regular basis as applicants invited to attend an interview will be notified via this method.
As part of our recruitment process, you will be required to undertake pre-employment screening:
Disclosure and Barring Scheme(previously Criminal Records Bureau)
Where a post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it may be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Scheme to check for any previous criminal convictions. Should you require a copy of the Trust's Disclosure and Barring Service Policy, please contact a member of the recruitment team on 01642 624023.
It is the policy of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who are new to the Trust who require DBS clearance for the post they have been offered, are required to pay the cost for their DBS certificate. The method of payment for this is via salary deduction from your first month's pay on commencement with the Trust.
Please note the essential qualifications required for the post outlined within the Person Specification. You are required to hold and provide evidence of the necessary qualifications for the post at interview should you be shortlisted.
For any new employees commencing employment with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, you will be subject to satisfactory completion of a 6 month probationary period. Please note that internal applications and individuals that are appointed to fixed term appointments of less than 6 months duration are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or a bank member of staff).
As part of our pre-employment screening process, all applicants are required to provide references covering their last three years employment history. Applicants are requested to ensure e-mail addresses for all referees are included on their application form. Personal references are not acceptable.
If the hours advertised for the post are up to full time (37.5 hours per week), applications are still welcomed from individuals who may be seeking to work less than full-time hours and all requests will be considered in line with the post being appointed to for the successful applicant.
North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.
If you experience any technical difficulties applying for this post please contact a member of our recruitment team on 01642 624023 quoting the vacancy reference.
The details in the Monitoring Information section of your application will be used for monitoring our recruitment process and will not be seen by the interview panel. The information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence. To meet its commitment to promoting equality of opportunity, the Trust’s policy is that individuals will be recruited, trained and promoted according to ability and job requirements only. As such we welcome your application irrespective of your gender, race, disability, colour, ethnic or national origin, and nationality, and marital status, responsibility for dependants, religion, trade union activity and age.
Disability
The Trust gives full and fair consideration to applications for employment received from disabled people. We are a “Positive about Disabled People” employer, and we hold the ‘two ticks’ Disability Symbol, which is a recognition given by Jobcentre Plus to employers who have agreed to meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people. If you have a disability, which makes it difficult for you to complete our application form, please do not hesitate to contact the recruitment team on 01642 624023.
As a supporter of the Armed Forces and an employer of Reservists, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust are proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the UK Armed Forces (and their families) are treated fairly.
We recognise that reservists and veterans bring a variety of transferable skills and qualities to our workplace, developed through their military careers. Our commitment to supporting the Armed Forces Community has been recognised through the Armed Forces Covenant as a Silver Employer.
What does this mean?
We proactively demonstrate our forces-friendly credentials within our recruitment and selection processes, by having a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for those indicated as part of the Armed Forces Community. We engage with our local and regional Career Transition Partnership representatives and are a member of Step Into Health. We employ veterans and reservists from differing branches of the Armed Forces and actively promote our positive policies for the Armed Forces Community, including our Special Leave policy. We advocate support for defence people issues, including facilitating easier access to Healthcare Services for our patients within the AF Community. We have supported employees through Reservist training, through additional leave for their training and ongoing support under our Special Leave policy.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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