Medical Examiner

Frimley Health Nhs Foundation Trust; Burgh Heath; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Part time

Job summary

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking up to 3 Medical Examiners to work 1 session per week in Camberley, United Kingdom. MEs verify MCCDs, refer to coroners when needed, and ensure compliant death certification processes.

Applicants should be GMC-registered practitioners with at least five years on the GMC specialist register. The role involves discussing causes of death with next of kin, maintaining records, and supporting governance and training activities.

Qualifications

• GMC medical practitioner with specialist registration.
• On GMC specialist register for at least 5 years.
• Commitment to lifelong learning and development.
• Up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and legal frameworks.
• Ability to identify good practice among colleagues.
• Work effectively in own team and with other disciplines.
• Experience in local governance / patient safety roles.
• Flexible and proactive with a busy workload.
• Strong interpersonal skills and empathy in difficult situations.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with legal and procedural requirements for certification and coronial processes.
• Scrutinise certified causes of death in a proportionate, consistent manner.
• Explain the cause of death to next of kin in a transparent, empathetic manner.
• Maintain comprehensive records and provide data to the National Medical Examiner's office.
• Participate in clinical governance activities including audits and mortality reviews.
• Support training of junior doctors in death certification.
• Work with Medical Examiner Officers, delegating duties as appropriate.

Skills

GMC communication

Empathy

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Flexible working

Communication with families

Governance awareness

Education

GMC specialist register

Minimum 5 years on GMC specialist register

Job description

Job summary

We are looking for a maximum of 3 Medical examiners to work 1 session per week.

Medical examiners (MEs) are appropriately trained doctors who will verify clinical information on Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs) and ensure that the right referrals are made to the coroner for further investigation. A practising medical practitioner who has been on the general medical council register for a minimum of five years post registration can apply to be a medical examiner. It is recommended that medical examiners are consultant grade doctors from a range of disciplines, including GP principals (who will be employed as specialty doctors. Specialty Doctors and Specialist doctors with appropriate skills will also be considered.

MEs will take a consistent approach to the formulation of MCCD content, which must be clinically accurate and reflect any discussions with the next of kin/informant. MEs must not have been involved in the care of the deceased patients for deaths they scrutinise.

To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region.

Main duties of the job

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 discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner. It is anticipated that such discussions will be predominately conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding information may exist.

To ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of age, sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.

To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiner's office.

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.

About us

Why Join Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust?

At Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, our people are at the heart of everything we do.

As a Disability Confident Employer and recipient of the Gold Award in the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme, we actively champion equality, diversity and inclusion, creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to build rewarding careers within the NHS.

We also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance. By supporting flexible working arrangements wherever possible, we enable our colleagues to balance their professional and personal commitments while continuing to deliver outstanding care to our patients. Whether flexibility means adjusted hours, part-time working, hybrid arrangements or alternative working patterns, we work in partnership with our staff to meet both individual and service needs.

Join Us

Whether you're at the start of your career or looking for your next challenge, Frimley Health offers the opportunity to be part of a inclusive, forward-thinking organisation that is committed to excellence, innovation and compassionate care. Together, we can shape the future of healthcare and make a real difference to the lives of the communities we serve.

Job responsibilities

Please see detailed Medical Examiner job description and person specification for full details of the vacancy.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC on the specialist register
• On the GMC specialist register for a minimum of 5 years
• A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities
• MEs should have up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes
• 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
• Experience in local governance / patient safety roles
• Proactive and self-motivated with a flexible working approach
• Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions.
• 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.
• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism.

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.

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

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Medical Examiner • Camberley, United Kingdom