Senior Lead Medical Examiner Officer

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• To be responsible for the management and leadership of the Medical Examiner Officers across the Trust; including managing sickness and absence, appraisals, performance management, training, and development.
• To offer support and pastoral care to families and colleagues and to facilitate effective communication between families and health care professionals alongside Bereavement Office staff.
• Communicate by telephone, over email and face to face with families, carers, clinical teams, in relation to mortality case records reviews and associated quality improvement.
• Provide advice and support to families, carers and staff on the Learning from Deaths programme and related processes.
• To carry out the initial screening of medical notes of deceased patients to identify cases that clearly require referral to the Coroner.
• To work with the Medical Examiner to ensure proper and proportionate scrutiny of medical notes.
• To act autonomously in reporting cases to HM Coroner when medical staff/Medical Examiner are not available.
• To manage own workload ensuring project timescales are adhered to.
• To discuss content of medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations.

• Educated to Batchelor's degree level or equivalent working knowledge in related field.
• Completion e-learning MEO core training modules

Experience

• A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
• Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
• General knowledge of clinical/medical terminology
• 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.

• 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

• The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved.
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of leading a small team
• Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities.
• Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to flexible to the needs of the service
• Ability to maintain a calm manner in a range of challenging and emotive circumstances

It is an exciting time to join the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care.

The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

• Job Description (PDF, 256.4KB)
• Personal Specification (PDF, 152.4KB)
• Functional Aspects (PDF, 176.4KB)
• Disclosure & Barring Information and Recruitment of Ex-Offenders (PDF, 78.5KB)
• Staff Diversity Network (PDF, 140.3KB)
• Information for Disabled Applicants (PDF, 98.7KB)
• Bedford Hospital Site map (PDF, 2.6MB)
• Staff Benefits (PNG, 1.6MB)