Medical Examiner Officer

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, Bereavement Services staff, and Registration Services, as well as having close contact with bereaved families.
Why apply for this role?
+ You will be part of a new, developing NHS service with plenty of opportunity for personal and professional growth and an impact on service improvement
+ Highly rewarding role contributing to patient safety, improving the experience of bereaved families, and informing national health policy by ensuring accurate cause of death statistics
+ Chance to be part of a varied and skilled multidisciplinary team with a high level of autonomy and responsibility, The role of the Medical Examiner Officer
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 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., 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.
The successful candidate(s) will be primarily based at one or both North Bristol Trust Medical Examiner Offices (Southmead Hospital and 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.

+ 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.

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.
Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.
If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us on tel .
North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.
At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT's workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.
Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.