Medical Examiner officer

Job overview

To support medical examiners in their role in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. To be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals and coroner and registration services. To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish and resolve any concerns relating to a patient’s death. Work with medical examiners to aid them in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation. 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.

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). To refer patients to the coroner for further investigation on approval by the medical examiner. 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.

Main duties of the job

Highly evolved empathetic and self-awareness skills to deal with bereaved families who may have barriers to understanding information due to their grief or disability. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 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. Knowledge of the statutory process around death certification legal frameworks and how the medical examiner system aligns with other related organisations and NHS initiatives. The ability to work in a highly pressurised, unpredictable environment where bereavement care is central to the service delivery. Specialist knowledge of various faith groups’ funeral wishes/practices to enable respectful compliance with tight and specific timescales and procedures. Be able to juggle conflicting demands, prioritise tasks and deal with queries as they arise. Identify relatives’ concerns and escalate them appropriately. To ensure bereaved families receive timely paperwork to enable them to register a death within timescales. Full compliance with secure handling of patient identifiable data is essential. 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. Facilitating and escorting bereaved relatives to view the deceased in certain circumstances.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached to the advert a job description and person specification for further details. Please ensure you read this document carefully.  Please note, if your application is successful you will be required to present original certificates of qualifications that are listed in the person specification under essential.

Certificate of sponsorship

For individuals who may require sponsorship under the skilled worker or health & care visa route please use the link below to check your eligibility. Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK

Please note that from 9th April 2025, band 2 & 3 entry roles are no longer eligible for sponsorship.

Please note that, prior to the interview, if your application is successful, you will need to provide either a valid NMC/HCPC registration number or a degree certificate in a relevant subject as evidence of your qualifications.