Medical Examiner | Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Basingstoke; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Basingstoke is looking for an experienced Medical Examiner. This role requires a medical doctor with at least five years of experience to provide independent scrutiny of non-coronial deaths. The successful candidate will work closely with a dedicated team, support clinical governance, and interact empathetically with bereaved families. The position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• At least five years of relevant medical experience required.
• Must demonstrate understanding of death certification processes.
• Experience in engaging with bereaved families is crucial.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with certification and investigation processes.
• Scrutinise certified causes of death.
• Support training for junior doctors.

Skills

Experience in mortality review/governance

Clinical governance knowledge

Empathy and communication skills

Education

Medical degree with GMC registration

Job description

“The next of kin are at the heart of everything we do”

We are seeking to appoint a proactive and self-motivated doctor to join our team of medical examiners at North & Mid Hampshire Medical Examiner Service.

Since 9 September 2024 when the service became statutory, all acute, non-acute and community deaths that do not require a coroner’s referral must be scrutinised by a medical examiner before the death can be registered.

Overview

The successful applicant will

• provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring independent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths
• ensure the appropriate direction of deaths to the coroner
• provide a better service for the bereaved and an opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a doctor not involved in the care of the deceased
• improve the quality of death certification
• support local learning and improvement by identifying matters that require escalation to local clinical governance and other processes
• improve the quality of mortality data

The ME service interacts with many clinical specialities from both the acute and non-acute setting, strengthening links between the health services, coroners' offices and register offices.

Who we are looking for

Medical Examiners are senior doctors from a diverse variety of clinical specialties in secondary and primary care. We are looking to recruit someone with experience of caring for and/or reviewing a broad cross-section of patients; and in particular experience of mortality review / governance would be a strong bonus. You will work closely with our team of Medical Examiner Officers, who are vital to the efficient running of the service.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the major provider of hospital services to the population of North and mid Hampshire and surrounding areas. The hospitals in Basingstoke and Winchester provide a comprehensive range of acute services as well as being a tertiary referral centre for colorectal, liver, peritoneal carcinomatosis, haemophilia and pseudomyxoma surgery.

Requirements

The Medical Examiner (ME) must be a medical practitioner registered with a licence to practise in the UK by the GMC, with at least five-years of experience. The post-holder must have been registered as a medical practitioner throughout the previous five years as at the date of appointment.

Main responsibilities

• ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current processes of certification, investigation (by coroners) and registration of deaths
• support those doctors who call for medical advice on suspected natural causes of death
• scrutinise the certified causes of all in-scope deaths
• maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis for clinical governance purposes
• explain to bereaved relatives cause of death in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner
• support the training of junior doctors in completion of MCCDs
• engage with relevant governance activities relating to death certification
• support the Medical Examiner Officers in carrying out their role and with their continuing professional development
• Attend catch-up meetings for all MEs and MEOs which are currently 6 per year (4 x remote, 1 x face to face on either RHCH or BNHH site, and 1 'Away Day' (in-house training off site face to face).

Location and organisation

For further details / informal visits or to arrange a conversation with our Lead MEO, Lisa Birkett 01962 824073

This advert closes on Sunday 2 Nov 2025