Mortuary Support/Biomedical Support Worker

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Oxford; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an enthusiastic Mortuary Assistant to join the mortuary team in Oxford. You will assist in providing an efficient mortuary service, handling post-mortem processes, tissue services, and related duties across multiple sites.

The role involves data entry, liaison with funeral directors, coroner's staff, and pathology teams. The post holder will work under supervision to ensure timely processing, proper documentation, and compliance with

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths at grade A-C / 4-9 or equivalent.
• GCSE Science or equivalent desirable.
• Car and clean driving licence are desirable.
• Computer data handling experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Receive and record deceased from wards or other sources.
• Match details with paperwork and assign unique mortuary register numbers.
• Data entry into the mortuary computer system with accuracy.
• Assist with preparation and handling of deceased for post-mortem and tissue services.
• Liaise with undertakers, Coroner, and police regarding releases and transfers.
• Maintain cleanliness and disinfection of mortuary areas and equipment.

Skills

Attention to detail

Data entry

IT skills

Communication

Teamwork

Education

GCSE English A-C / 4-9

GCSE Maths A-C / 4-9

GCSE Science or equivalent

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic, adaptable person, keen to work as part of the mortuary team to assist in the provision of an efficient and smooth-running mortuary service. The mortuary provides a post mortem service to the Trust and HM Coroner. The work will be based mainly in the mortuary but may also involve limited work in the histology laboratory.,

• receipt and release of the deceased across three sites - John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals in Oxford and the Horton Hospital in Banbury.
• liaising with funeral directors, bereavement officers, coroner's officers, pathologists and laboratory staff by telephone and email
• participating in an on call service at the weekends to assist tissue services - identification of deceased with tissue services, moving deceased to post mortem room for organ retrieval by tissue services
• dispatch of biological samples to testing laboratories
• scanning of paperwork (archival storage of patient request forms and for digital pathology)
• filing of departmental slides, blocks and specimens to ensure regulatory compliance
• scanning of slides for digital pathology (histology slides converted to digital image )
• assisting anatomical pathology technologists in the post mortem room ., The post holder, under supervision, will be expected to carry out the following duties according to the appropriate Standard Operating Procedures and ensuring Health and Safety guidance is followed.

Clinical Practice

• Receive and record the receipt of deceased from wards and other sources
• Match details on deceased with white board / paperwork and assign unique identifying mortuary register number requiring complete accuracy and attention to detail
• Responsible for data entry into the mortuary computer system, requiring complete accuracy and attention to detail
• Undress deceased as required and place in refrigerator, using mechanical hoist when possible.
• Safeguard any property and valuables accompanying the deceased in line with Trust and Coroner's procedures.
• Work with Anatomical Pathology Technologist (APT) staff to ensure work is processed in a timely and efficient manner
• Liaise with undertakers and record the release and removal of deceased (and property) from hospital premises, ensuring compliance with all necessary paperwork
• Participate in the preparation of disinfectants in accordance and perform routine decontamination and cleaning of the post-mortem rooms, refrigerator and their environs, waste disposal
• Assist with deceased preparation for post-mortem / tissue donation, moving deceased from refrigeration to post-mortem station.
• Help to monitor the adequacy of resources and equipment, reporting any deficiencies to the designated senior APT.
• Despatch biological samples to testing laboratories ensuring that sample packaging is compliant with specimen transport guidelines

Management and organisational role

• Communicate with other members of the team, demonstrating good work relations with all members of staff to promote effective team working.
• Liaise with hospital officers and porter staff to facilitate viewing of deceased by relatives and others
• Liaise with designated officers of HM Coroner and visiting police personnel
• Receive sensitive information from relatives and their representatives where empathic skills are required.
• Be aware of Clinical Governance, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and local Health and Safety polices, reporting problems, errors or breaches to the senior staff.
• Assist with work required to maintain UKAS accreditation and HTA licencing requirements
• Attend departmental and Trust-wide staff meetings as appropriate.
• Demonstrate an awareness of, and compliance with, health and safety regulations, the Data Protection Act and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Treat everyone associated with the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with courtesy and respect.

Information Technology Role

• Display and maintain an appropriate level of IT skills, in order to input patient and post-mortem data maintain and amend deceased records and interrogate the post mortem databases.
• Perform a range of administrative tasks in the mortuary as required. This includes retrieval and disposal of specimens and data, maintenance of associated records and the collection of data for audits.

Professional development and Education

• Attend mandatory training sessions required by the Trust.
• Attend any areas of further development as suggested in their Personal Development Plan (PDP)
• Attend regular appraisal, maintain competence levels within the Department and assists in own personal and professional development

General Responsibilities

• To be aware of the inherent risks of the work and to take appropriate precautions at all times, reporting to the Mortuary Manager or Safety Officer any potential hazards.
• Abide by current policies and procedures defined by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and/or the Pathology Risk Management Team and to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act.
• Any matters of a confidential nature, including information relating to the diagnosis and treatment of patients, individual staff records must, under no circumstances, be divulged to any unauthorised person or persons.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

The successful candidates will work as part of a multidisciplinary team and have a positive professional approach to the work. The ability to use computers is critical for daily work to ensure correct mortuary and laboratory records are maintained.

Essential requirements : GCSE grade A-C / 4-9 in English and Maths and a similar grade in science is highly desirable. Desirable requirements: Car and clean driving licence, previous relevant experience is desirable but not essential as all necessary training will be provided.

• GCSE English A-C / 4-9 or equivalent
• GCSE Maths A-C / 4-9 or equivalent, Previous experience with a funeral director or in an NHS laboratory would be advantageous
• Computer data