Medical Examiner

Job overview

The Lead Medical Examiner will provide senior clinical leadership and professional oversight of the Medical Examiner service delivered by London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. The service includes the scrutiny of deaths occurring within LNWH hospitals, deaths referred from primary care and community settings, and deaths scrutinised on behalf of partner organisations under agreed service arrangements.

The postholder will ensure that Medical Examiners deliver a consistent, independent, proportionate, high-quality and compassionate service in accordance with statutory requirements, national guidance and professional standards. They will support accurate death certification, appropriate referral to the coroner, sensitive engagement with bereaved people and the effective identification and escalation of concerns arising from the scrutiny of deaths.

The Lead Medical Examiner must remain an active Medical Examiner within the LNWH service and undertake a minimum of 1 PA per week of Medical Examiner scrutiny, in addition to the 1 PA Lead Medical Examiner commitment.

The postholder will work in close partnership with the Lead Medical Examiner Officer and operational management, but will not hold line-management responsibility for Medical Examiner Officers. Formal employment line management of Medical Examiners will remain within the relevant employing arrangements unless explicitly agreed otherwise

Main duties of the job

• Provide senior clinical and professional leadership to the LNWH Medical Examiner service.
• Oversee the quality, consistency and independence of Medical Examiner scrutiny across hospital, primary care, community and partner-provider settings.
• Provide professional support, advice and peer leadership to Medical Examiners working within the service.
• Work in partnership with the Lead Medical Examiner Officer and operational management team to support effective service delivery, capacity planning and development.
• Maintain effective relationships with organisations whose deaths are scrutinised by the LNWH Medical Examiner Office.
• Represent the LNWH Medical Examiner service within the Trust and at relevant local, regional and national forums.
• Contribute to the identification of concerns, themes, patterns and opportunities for learning arising from the scrutiny of deaths.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See attached job description

“We operate a joint recruitment hub across the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative Group. As part of this, your application and personal data may be shared with partner trusts within the group for recruitment and workforce purposes, in line with general data protection regulation (GDPR).”

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.