Medical Examiner

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust; Camberley; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 78,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability Confident Employer

Gold Award in Armed Forces Employer 
—

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking up to three Medical Examiners to review MCCDs and coordinate with coroner referrals. Candidates should be GMC-registered medical practitioners with at least five years post-registration, and preferably consultants from various disciplines or GP principals.

The role emphasizes compassionate communication with next of kin and strict adherence to death-certification processes. Training and collaboration with MEOs are included.

Qualifications

• Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC on the specialist register.
• Five years post-registration experience minimum.

Responsibilities

• Scrutinise certified causes of death and ensure compliance with national protocols.
• Discuss and explain cause of death to next of kin in a tactful, transparent manner.
• Maintain comprehensive records and contribute to governance activities and audits.
• Support training of junior doctors in death certification practices.
• Collaborate with medical examiner officers and lead ME teams.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Clinical governance

Empathy

Education

GMC registration (specialist register)

Job description

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Experience

Essential criteria

Job Overview

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.

Working for our organisation

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.

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Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

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

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC on the specialist register

Desirable criteria

• On the GMC specialist register for a minimum of 5 years

Experience

Essential criteria

• 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

Desirable criteria

• Experience in local governance / patient safety roles

skills & Knowledge

Essential criteria

• 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.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.

We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across all sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.

We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.

Alongside estates' investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.

Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.