Medical Examiner Officer inBrighton and Haywards Heath inBrighton and Haywards Heath PUBLISHED 30 DEC 2023

Band 6: £37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum pro rata FIXED TERM

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279) rX6VOofc

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To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are escalated as appropriate to the Medical Examiner or Coroners Office in a timely manner.

Effective verbal, non-verbal, and written communication with all members of the multidisciplinary team within own department and relevant departments and both internal and external to the Trust.
To discuss content of medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations
Communicate via all mediums with families, carers, clinical teams, in relation to medical examiner scrutiny and the outcomes of any discussions
To assist relatives in identifying appropriate information and additional/further advice and support e.g. Patient Advice Liaison Service, Bereavement Office information and external agencies
To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are escalated as appropriate to the Medical Examiner or Coroners Office in a timely manner
Address inappropriate behaviour in others in a professional manner.
To participate in meetings with relatives alongside the Medical Examiner and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
Service Delivery and Improvement
To carry out the initial screening of medical notes of deceased patients to identify cases that clearly require referral to the Coroner
To support medical staff in formulation cause of deathSupport colleagues to develop confidence in communication skills around death certification and the Medical Examiner Office.
To work with the Medical Examiner to ensure proper and proportionate scrutiny of medical notes
To act autonomously in identifying and reporting cases to HM Coroner when medical staff/Medical Examiner are not available.
To manage own workload ensuring project timescales are adhered to.
To establish clear and effective channels for communicating and co operating with all departments, wards and relevant professionals.
To maintain an accurate and effective record keeping system in line with Information Governance Policies and National Medical ExaminerDevelop protocols, guidelines and policy for the efficient running of the Medical Examiner office in scrutinising acute and non-acute deaths.
Responsible for the procurement of physical assets & supplies.
Responsible for the delivery of cost effective care in relation to equipment and resources used in the course of work.Responsibility to consider implications of service development.
Ensure resources are used efficiently and cost effectively, implementing new initiatives where possible to improve patient experience.
Responsible for ensuring the effective use and maintenance of stock and equipment in line with the workload requirements.

An exciting opportunity is available at University Hospital Sussex (UHSx) NHS Foundation Trust for a further part time Medical Examiner Officer to join our team. After successful implementation of the Medical Examiner (ME) Service in our acute hospitals, we are expanding into the Community and Primary Care Settings in the Brighton and Mid Sussex.

We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated, and compassionate Medical Examiner Officers (MEO) to join our team, to help support the continued delivery of the acute ME Service across our hospital sites and within the community. You will be key in supporting the Medical Examiner process, the Trust's mortality process and provide support to a range of staff within the Trust around mortality and the ME Service.

Please contact for further details. Secondment opportunities will be considered.

These roles will incorporate administrative skills in ensuring necessary paperwork is accurate and complete, but also excellent communication skills during liaison with doctors, nurses, families, and where appropriate, the Coroners' services. Part of the day to day work will also involve investigation work and perusal of patient notes so a good working knowledge of medical terminology is important together with relevant clinical experience in an acute/community setting.

We have set up Medical Examiners Offices at 4 sites within the Trust. This enables the Medical Examiners to scrutinise every applicable inpatient death in the Trust, as well as the responsibility to scrutinise all community deaths in West Sussex and Brighton locations. To do this, we have aimed to develop a responsive and fluid service which is adaptable to the needs of the Trust, our patients, and our workforce.An element of cross site working between Royal Sussex County Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital (Haywards Heath) is expected in consideration of work base preference at recruitment.

Successful applicants will be expected to complete formal training appropriate to the role when in post, online training produced by the Royal College of Pathologists should be completed prior to commencement of the post.

Effective verbal, non-verbal, and written communication with all members of the multidisciplinary team within own department and relevant departments and both internal and external to the Trust.
To discuss content of medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) with relatives of deceased and in all cases, collect additional information. This may include the need to communicate sensitive information and offer explanations
Communicate via all mediums with families, carers, clinical teams, in relation to medical examiner scrutiny and the outcomes of any discussions
To assist relatives in identifying appropriate information and additional/further advice and support e.g. Patient Advice Liaison Service, Bereavement Office information and external agencies
To ensure any concerns raised by the relatives are escalated as appropriate to the Medical Examiner or Coroners Office in a timely manner
Address inappropriate behaviour in others in a professional manner.
To participate in meetings with relatives alongside the Medical Examiner and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
Service Delivery and Improvement
To carry out the initial screening of medical notes of deceased patients to identify cases that clearly require referral to the Coroner
To support medical staff in formulation cause of deathSupport colleagues to develop confidence in communication skills around death certification and the Medical Examiner Office.
To work with the Medical Examiner to ensure proper and proportionate scrutiny of medical notes
To act autonomously in identifying and reporting cases to HM Coroner when medical staff/Medical Examiner are not available.
To manage own workload ensuring project timescales are adhered to.
To establish clear and effective channels for communicating and co operating with all departments, wards and relevant professionals.
To maintain an accurate and effective record keeping system in line with Information Governance Policies and National Medical ExaminerDevelop protocols, guidelines and policy for the efficient running of the Medical Examiner office in scrutinising acute and non-acute deaths.
Responsible for the procurement of physical assets & supplies.
Responsible for the delivery of cost effective care in relation to equipment and resources used in the course of work.Responsibility to consider implications of service development.
Ensure resources are used efficiently and cost effectively, implementing new initiatives where possible to improve patient experience.
Responsible for ensuring the effective use and maintenance of stock and equipment in line with the workload requirements.