Medical Examiner Officer

Job overview

Location: North & Mid Hampshire Medical Examiner (ME) Service, hosted by HHFT provides a ME Service to all acute sites and primary healthcare settings, including community deaths across our geographical footprint. We have two offices, one situated in Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, and another situated in Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester.  You will be primarily located at Winchester site with requirement for cross-site working.

This role is part of the national implementation of the ME service in England and Wales and we invite applications from anyone with degree level education or equivalent experience, either with a professional clinical background or relevant experience in the bereavement or coroner service.

The successful candidate would be joining an existing small & friendly team who work collaboratively to provide support for bereaved families and to improve patient safety.  You would work closely with the MEs and report to the Lead MEO.  The ME offices are currently open weekdays Monday – Friday, between the hours of 0730-1530.

The successful applicant will

• Provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring independent   scrutiny of all deaths not referred directly to the coroner
• Improve the quality of death certification, providing advice based on a   review of relevant health records
• Avoid unnecessary distress for the bereaved by answering questions   about the care given or certified cause of death

Main duties of the job

• Working under delegation from the Medical Examiner (ME) or Lead MEO; the MEO will support the end process of death certification within the Medical Examiner Service. This will require a combination of skills and knowledge, compassion, sensitivity, and a commitment to engage with bereaved families.
• The MEO will review patient records to gather information for the Medical Examiner, so a good working knowledge of medical terminology and clinical understanding are necessary of both the Electronic Record and the existing paper-based processes.
• The post holder will provide administrative skills to support Medical Examiners in scrutinizing deaths ensuring necessary paperwork is accurate and complete.
• The MEO will contact the next of kin to discuss the death, to enquire about any concerns they may have about care, and to explain the proposed wording of the Death Certificate. This requires excellent communication skills. They will additionally be a point of contact and source of advice for healthcare professionals from elsewhere in the organisation and, where appropriate, Coroners' and Registration services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Happy to Talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible and part time working will be considered.

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached.

Please note: This is a 10 month secondment into our service and training will be provided.