Medical Examiner Officer

Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a proactive Medical Examiner Officer to join our busy Medical Examiner Service at St Thomas' Hospital. You will work as part of a small team, supporting Medical Examiners in scrutinising causes of death and ensuring deaths in our acute hospitals and community settings are managed efficiently.

The role involves day-to-day case management, supervising Band 5 MEOs, data collection, and contributing to policy development on death certification.

Responsibilities

• Assist and support Medical Examiners in scrutinising death circumstances and causes.
• Manage day-to-day casework for all deaths referred to the ME Office; supervise Band 5 MEOs.
• Co-ordinate and supervise handover of casework between part-time Band 5 MEOs.
• Assist in data collection/analysis and report preparation using clinical/case management systems.
• Advise stakeholders on policy matters; help review and implement death-certification procedures.
• Deputise for the Lead MEO as needed; represent ME service at internal/external meetings.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Medical Examiner Officer (MEO) to join our busy Medical Examiner Service, led by the Trust's Lead Medical Examiner. In this role you will be part of a small team of MEOs, led by the Lead Medical Examiner Officer, who collectively support the Trust's Medical Examiners (ME), in the provision of the Medical Examiner Service. Our Medical Examiner Service ensures that all deaths within the Trust's acute hospitals and community deaths in Lambeth and Southwark are scrutinised. The service is dedicated to working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including Coroners' Offices, in supporting bereaved people as they progress with death registration and funeral arrangements. You will be based primarily at the Medical Examiner Office located at St Thomas' Hospital, working alongside the Duty ME for that day, the Lead MEO and the other MEO's and the existing team of Bereavement Administrators. There may be a requirement for occasional cross-site working with travel between the Guy's and St Thomas' sites (and any satellite inpatient units where the occasional need arises).

• To assist and support Medical Examiners in their role in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death.
• To be responsible for the day-to-day case management of all acute and non-acute deaths referred to the ME Office. This will involve delegation and supervision of work for the Band 5 MEOs. The post holder will be required to evaluate and prioritise a large number of complex activities to meet competing and changing demands.
• To co-ordinate and supervise the handover of casework between any part-time Band 5 MEOs.
• To assist the Lead MEO in the collection and analysis of data and preparation of reports. This will require data input and interrogation of a number of complex clinical and bespoke case management systems.
• To give key stakeholders advice on relevant policy and procedural matters and to assist the Lead MEO in reviewing, developing and implementing policies and procedures both externally and Trust wide with respect to death certification and ME scrutiny.
• To deputise for the Lead MEO when required, including day to day management of the Band 5 MEOs and other associated staff. This may also include representing the ME service at meetings with internal and external stakeholders.Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

We are among the UK's busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark. We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and - as part of King's Health Partners - we are one of England's eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world‑class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research's biomedical research centres, established with King's College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.

Organisational Values: Our values help us to define and develop our culture, what we do and how we do it. It is important that you understand and reflect these values throughout your employment with the Trust.