GP Medical Examiner

NHS; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A University Teaching Hospital in Milton Keynes seeks a GP Medical Examiner to support the vital death certification process. The ideal candidate will be a medically qualified practitioner registered with the GMC for a minimum of five years. Responsibilities include scrutinizing causes of death, maintaining records, and supporting junior doctors. The role offers comprehensive peer support and an outstanding benefits package, contributing to a rewarding healthcare environment.

Benefits

Free on-site parking

Free tea and coffee

Great flexible working opportunities

Discounted gym membership

Generous annual leave

Extensive staff health and well-being program

Qualifications

• Registered and licensed to practice in the UK for at least five years.
• Up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and death certification legal frameworks.
• Previous experience of clinical governance processes.

Responsibilities

• Scrutinise causes of death offered by certifying practitioners.
• Maintain comprehensive records of scrutinised deaths.
• Support training of junior doctors on the death certification process.

Skills

IT skills including use of email and commonly used software

Strong interpersonal skills

Ability to manage sensitive information

Ability to work as part of a team

Resilience in distressing situations

Education

Medical practitioner registered by the GMC

Recognised relevant postgraduate medical qualification

Job description

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

GP Medical Examiner

The closing date is 09 February 2026

We are looking to expand our Medical Examiner Service.

We are a supportive, experienced and dynamic team from a range of clinical backgrounds, and we are now looking to recruit new medical practitioners to the team to deal with the our increasing workload. We have developed an excellent working relationship with our Superintendent Registrar, Coroner and Coroner's Officers locally.

Applications are invited from any senior medically qualified practitioner who has been on the full GMC register for a minimum of five years.

As a new Medical Examiner, you will be supported by the team, and will shadow a current Medical Examiner for the first few weeks. Training is hosted by the Royal College of Pathologists, with peer support being provided in the new role by the existing medical examiners. This is a highly rewarding role that provides essential safeguards within the death certification process, provides support to the bereaved, supports correct referral to HM Coroner and supports the system-wide learning and improvement.

You must have the right to live and work in the UK. If you require a visa to work, please note that we are currently unable to support sponsorship requests for this role.

Main duties of the job

Medical examiners (MEs) are appropriately trained doctors who will proportionately scrutinise deceased patients' records against the Cause of Death offered by the certifying practitioner. They are responsible for ensuring that

• the Cause of Death is accurate, and meets the legal requirements for registration,
• there is no requirement for referral of the case to the Coroner for review
• any concerns about the death raised by any concerned party are reviewed and actioned accordingly
• that any concerns about the standard of care received by the deceased are escalated appropriately for investigation for system-wide learning

Medical Examiners are not allowed to scrutinise the death of any patient whose care they have been involved in.

About us

You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Free on-site parking
• Free tea and coffee
• Great flexible working opportunities
• Discounted gym membership
• Lease car scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Extensive staff health and well-being programme

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices. We promote an inclusive workforce and encourage applications from applicants from all backgrounds.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

Job responsibilities

• To ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths.
• To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol.
• To ensure that any concerns about the death raised by any concerned party are reviewed and actioned accordingly.
• To ensure that any concerns about the standard of care received by the deceased are escalated appropriately for investigation for system wide learning.
• To discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner.
• To ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
• To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised.
• To participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care.
• To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs.
• To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate.
• To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.

Person Specification

Experience

• Previous experience of clinical governance processes and improvement projects and methodology
• A working knowledge of the clinical portal

Specific Requirements

• Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations

Qualifications and Knowledge

• Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC.
• Must have been on the full register for a minimum of five years
• Up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes
• 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
• Completion of the 26 Royal College of Pathologists Medical examiner core training modules
• Recognised relevant postgraduate medical qualification

Skills

• IT skills including use of email and commonly used software
• Ability to manage sensitive information - based processes within tight timescales by ensuring a proportionate approach to tasks
• Ability to identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge
• Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions
• Have the resilience to manage own reaction to frequently distressing situations and support others within the team.
• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism.

Personal and People Development

• Ability to identify and disseminate examples of good practice amongst relevant colleagues.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently within own team and also closely with people in other disciplines
• A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
• Evidence of regular engagement with the appraisal process
• Commitment to attend a face-to-face training session within the first three months in post if not already completed when appointed.
• Proactive and self-motivated with a flexible working approach
• Support of colleagues for you to take on the ME role
• To sustain professional integrity and independence at all times, and possess an ability to identify potential conflicts of interest

Communication

• Excellent communication skills across cultural and language barriers, and demonstrated experience of using translation services or applications to aid communication under difficult circumstances

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.