Medical Examiner Officer
- NHS
- Full Time
- Herne Hill
- 35964.00 - 43780.00 a year
Job Description
Job summary
We are looking for a Band 5 Medical Examiner Officer (MEO) to join the Medical Examiner's Office at Denmark Hill.
The Medical Examiner system is a new service, recently introduced in England and Wales, which will become statutory from the 9th September 2024.
The principal functions are:o To provide the bereaved with explanation, transparency and an early opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns.o Improve accuracy and quality in all aspects of the medical certification of the cause of death.o Ensure appropriate referral to the Coroner.o To safeguard the public through consistent scrutiny of all non-coronal deaths.o To support clinical governance in learning and improvement.The current service is currently scrutinising all deaths in the hospital, and community in in Bexley and Bromley area.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking an individual who will be responsible for working within the Medical Examiner Service at the Denmark Hill.
The role will participate in all aspects of the department when required, including the completion of paperwork required for the Medical Examiner to scrutinise each death and ensuring that all deaths are scrutinised in a timely manner.
You will work closely with the Site Lead Medical Examiner officer and the Lead Medical Examiner Officer in continually developing the Medical Examiner service and will take an active role in supporting the scrutiny of coronial deaths within the community and manage the Medical Examiners Service on a daily basis in the absence of the Site lead Medical Examiner Officer (MEO).
Assist the Lead MEO with the provision of accurate data returns to comply with National and Regional Medical Examiner requirements.
Attend meetings as required to represent the Medical Examiner Service.
To maintain workflow through the Medical Examiners' Service to ensure all targets are met.
About us
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King's to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Job responsibilities
To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish and resolve any concerns relating to a patients 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
Maintain an awareness of the diverse needs of users of the medical examiner system to ensure equality to any particular group defined by sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
Person Specification
EDucation and Qualification
Essential
- Educated to Batchelor's degree level or equivalent working knowledge in related field.
- A commitment to life- long learning and able to demonstrate undertaking of personal development opportunities relevant to the post
- Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with patients families and staff forming good relationships
- Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
- The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders
- Proactive and self-motivated. Ability to deputise for Senior Medical Examiner Officer
Desirable
- Ability to be able to work flexibly across all Trust sites
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Denmark Hill
London
SE5 9RS
