Job summary
Interviews for this role will take place on Monday 10th August 2026 in Trust Headquarters at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
This is a Trust Wide role.
We are seeking an experienced and compassionate medical professional to lead our Medical Examiner Service. This is a pivotal role in ensuring the quality, transparency, and sensitivity of death certification processes across the Trust.
You will provide clinical leadership to a team of Medical Examiners, ensuring that all deaths not referred to the Coroner are scrutinised appropriately. The role also involves supporting bereaved families, improving patient safety, and contributing to learning from deaths.
Main duties of the job
The Lead Medical Examiner will provide clinical leadership to ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current processes of certification, investigation (HM Coroner) and registration of deaths within the local authority. The post holder will work collaboratively with the Medical Examiners by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and standardise processes for service delivery. The post holder will work closely with all relevant stakeholders across County Durham and Darlington.
The main duties of the role are;
Lead and manage the Medical Examiner Service across the Trust
Ensure consistent and high-quality scrutiny of deaths in line with national guidance
Provide expert advice on cause of death and certification processes
Liaise with bereaved families to explain the cause of death and address concerns
Oversee recruitment, training, and professional development of Medical Examiners
Collaborate with the Coroners Office, Bereavement Services, and clinical governance teams
Ensure compliance with statutory requirements and NHS England standards
Support mortality surveillance
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Details
- Date posted: 09 July 2026
- Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
- Salary: £113,565 to £150,569 a year YC72 Pay Scale per annum pro rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Part-time, Job share
- Reference number: C9439-2627-712
- Job locations: Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6HX, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
Ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with death certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths
Provide leadership for the effective management of the Medical Examiners Office, including the supervision and development of any staff
Engage with the lead Medical Examiner and Medical Examiner Officer for the region
Adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning
Maintain uniform standards of service delivery. This will include providing feedback to MEs to take into their main appraisal as part of the whole scope of practice
Undertake quality assurance of the service, providing feedback to MEs
Work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate
Provide leadership and direction to Medical Examiners upon appointment under the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer (notwithstanding the independent nature of the role)
Lead complaint responses with regards to the medical examiner service
Collaborate with trust patient safety and mortality review teams to enhance learning
Continue collaborative working with HM Coroner and other stakeholders
Maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to relevant stakeholders,
Facilitate routine analysis of Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) information to include within quarterly reports required by the Regional and National Medical Examiner Office.
Identify trends, patterns and unusual features of deaths and report to both the Trust patient safety and clinical governance teams and regional/national Medical Examiner Service.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a medical examiner
Qualifications
Essential
- Medical qualification with extensive post registration experience
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
- Medical Examiner Training
Desirable
- General management qualification
Special Requirements
Essential
- Ability to travel to meet the requirements of the post
Statutory Registration
Essential
- GMC registration with a licence to practice in the UK
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Candidates must have completed the mandatory e-learning modules and attended a face-to-face training session (face to face where practicable, but asap thereafter) by the time they start the role.
- MEs should have up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes.
- The highest level of interpersonal and communication skills
- Able to lead and motivate others, strong influencing and negotiation skills.
- Ability to analyse highly complex organisational problems and develop and implement workable solutions.
- Ability to relate to a wide spectrum of NHS professionals with competing agendas and achieve organisation focused solutions to problems.
- Expert knowledge and understanding of legislation relating to medical practice.
- Able to assess priorities and make decisions, quick to grasp a point, able to think on feet, influence, persuade, give leadership and direction.
- Knowledge and understanding of key NHS issues, including national and local policy drivers that are complex and highly politicised.
- Highly developed knowledge and understanding of key organisation systems and NHS modernisation agenda.
- Ability to manage and comply with sensitive information-based processes under tight timescales with a proportionate approach.
- Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity.
- Knowledge of local and national clinical governance systems and an understanding of how the ME can work collaboratively to improve patient safety by identifying sub-optimal clinical and organisational performance.
- Ability to identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge.
- Ability to identify and disseminate examples of good practice amongst relevant colleagues.
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism.
- Have the resilience to manage own reaction to frequently distressing situations and support others within the team.
- Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions.
- To sustain professional integrity and independence at all times, particularly where there is the potential for a conflict of interest.
Desirable
- Ability to inspire others
- Service improvement and redesign techniques
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Lead Medical Examiner with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust in Darlington, North East and Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a Consultant Medical doctor Pathology role. The advertised salary is £113,565 to £150,569 a year. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 23 Jul 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (09 Jul 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
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