Medical Examiner Officer

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Basingstoke; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Hampshire is seeking a Medical Examiner to join their team. This role involves ensuring the quality of death certification and providing support to bereaved families. The successful candidate will primarily work at the Basingstoke site and will engage with various healthcare professionals. Ideal candidates should have a degree-level education or relevant experience, along with strong communication and compassion skills.

Qualifications

• Degree-level education or equivalent experience required.
• Professional clinical background or relevant experience in bereavement or coroner services.

Responsibilities

• Ensure independent scrutiny of all deaths not referred to the coroner.
• Review health records and enhance quality of death certification.
• Communicate with next of kin regarding death and concerns.

Skills

Communication

Compassion

Sensitivity

Knowledge of medical terminology

Education

Degree-level education

Job description

Location:

North & Mid Hampshire Medical Examiner (ME) Service, hosted by HHFT, provides a Medical Examiner Service to all acute sites and primary healthcare settings, including community deaths across our geographical footprint. We have two offices: one in Basingstoke at North Hampshire Hospital, and another at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester. The successful candidate will be primarily based at the Basingstoke site with cross-site working requirements.

Role Overview:

This role is part of the national implementation of the ME service in England and Wales. We invite applications from individuals with degree-level education or equivalent experience, either with a professional clinical background or relevant experience in bereavement or coroner services.

Team and Working Environment:

You will join a small, friendly team that collaborates to support bereaved families and enhance patient safety. The team works closely with Medical Examiners (MEs) and reports to the Lead MEO. Office hours are weekdays, Monday to Friday, from 07:30 to 15:30.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide safeguards for the public by ensuring independent scrutiny of all deaths not referred directly to the coroner.
• Enhance the quality of death certification by reviewing relevant health records and offering advice.
• Minimize distress for the bereaved by addressing questions about care or cause of death.
• Support the Medical Examiner or Lead MEO in death certification processes, requiring skills in communication, compassion, and sensitivity.
• Review patient records to gather information, requiring knowledge of medical terminology and clinical understanding of electronic and paper-based records.
• Provide administrative support to ensure paperwork related to death scrutiny is accurate and complete.
• Communicate with next of kin to discuss the death, address concerns, and explain the death certificate wording, requiring excellent communication skills. Also serve as a contact point for healthcare professionals, Coroners, and Registration services.

About Us:

Our vision is to deliver outstanding patient care across our sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves approximately 600,000 people in Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire. We foster a culture focused on people, belonging, learning, and excellence.

We provide specialist services nationally and internationally, including treatment for pseudomyxoma peritonei, and are leaders in tertiary liver and colorectal cancers. The trust employs over 9,000 staff with a turnover exceeding £500 million annually. As a Foundation Trust, we are accountable to our members through the governors, who influence our future plans.

Contact Details:

For more information or informal visits, contact:

• Name: Lisa Birkett
• Job Title: Lead Medical Examiner Officer
• Email: [e-mail]
• Telephone: [phone]

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 07:30 to 15:30.