Medical Examiner Officer | North Bristol NHS Trust

North Bristol NHS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare service provider in the UK seeks a Medical Examiner Officer for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. This role involves independent scrutiny of deaths, working closely with bereaved families and medical teams. The ideal candidate should possess excellent communication and administrative skills, have knowledge of medical terminology, and be committed to personal development. Training through the Royal College of Pathologists is required.

Qualifications

• Applicants must have undertaken the mandatory Royal College of Pathologists’ Medical Examiner e-learning modules.
• The role requires continuous training and professional development.

Responsibilities

• Support Medical Examiners in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death.
• Undertake a review of patients’ medical records.
• Provide explanations of the cause of death to the bereaved.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Strong administrative and computer skills

Good knowledge of medical terminology

Experience in clinical or bereavement care

Excellent time management skills

Commitment to personal development

Job description

Overview

Medical Examiner Officer for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire - Band 5

Would you like to be part of a specialist team with responsibility across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire? Do you have an interest in improving care for patients at the end of their life, informing public health policy, and providing bereaved families with support and peace of mind?

As a Medical Examiner Officer, you'll be part of a recently implemented service that provides independent scrutiny of all deaths across the area. You’ll work with a multidisciplinary team both internally and externally including Medical Examiners and other medical staff, HM Coroner’s Office, and Registration Services, as well as having close contact with bereaved families.

The role

The role of the Medical Examiner Officer is to support Medical Examiners in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. As a Medical Examiner Officer, you will:

• Undertake a review of patients’ medical records to assist the Medical Examiner in their scrutiny;
• Discuss the case and assist in the formulation of causes of death with the qualified attending medical practitioners (QAPs) and Medical Examiners;
• Provide an explanation of the cause of death to the bereaved, identifying and gathering information and answering questions relating to their concerns;
• Relay the Medical Examiner’s thoughts and advice to medical professionals, Coroner’s Offices, Registration Services, and the bereaved;
• Be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare, coroner, and registration services about the Medical Examiner function.

The Medical Examiner Service

The Medical Examiner Service is an independent service working under the direction of the Department of Health and Social Care, which aims to:

• Strengthen safeguards for the public by providing robust, systematic and independent scrutiny of all deaths not referred directly to the Coroner; provide intelligent analysis and system level reporting of concerns found during scrutiny; and ensure that appropriate deaths are referred to HM Coroner;
• Improve the quality of death certification by providing expert advice to doctors based on a review of relevant health records;
• Avoid unnecessary distress for the bereaved by answering questions about the certified cause of death, the care given, or those that arise from unexpected delays when registering a death.

Medical Examiners are senior doctors who undertake independent scrutiny of deaths in order to establish an accurate cause of death and identify cases where the circumstances surrounding that death require further investigation.

Skills required

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to liaise with colleagues across ME Offices over the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area, multidisciplinary teams of doctors and nurses, bereaved families, and Coroners' and Registration services
• Strong administrative and computer skills with good attention to detail
• A good working knowledge of medical terminology and clinical understanding is essential
• Experience in clinical or bereavement care, working with people in sensitive and emotional situations
• Excellent time management skills, with the ability to work with competing demands and changing priorities
• A commitment to personal development and the development and maintenance of a highly successful Medical Examiner Service across BNSSG.

Requirements and training

The Medical Examiner Officer role is a highly responsible, challenging, and involved role, and will therefore also require a dedicated and driven applicant.

Applicants must have undertaken the mandatory Royal College of Pathologists’ Medical Examiner e-learning modules (available here: https://www.rcpath.org/profession/medical-examiners/train-to-become-a-medical-examiner-officer.html). Once in post, Medical Examiner Officers will undergo formal training appropriate to the role, as provided by the Royal College of Pathologists and via completion of a training programme portfolio and competence assessment, which must be completed within 12 months of starting in post. The role requires continuous training as part of a lifelong learning role and continuous professional development.

Location and travel

The successful candidate(s) will be primarily based at the Community Medical Examiner Office in Frenchay. The role will require multi-site working and travel to other sites in Bristol and Weston to provide cover across the system, dependent on staffing and the location of cases.

This advert closes on Tuesday 4 Nov 2025