Medical Examiner

Main duties

To ensure compliance with the legal and

procedural requirements associated with the current and proposed reformed

processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of

deaths for the deceased of all ages.

To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered

by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant

with the proposed national protocol.

To discuss and explain the cause of death with next

of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner. It is anticipated that such discussions will

be predominately conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to

understanding information may exist.

To participate in relevant clinical governance

activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review

processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care.

To support the training of junior doctors in

their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in

accurate completion of MCCDs.

To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs),

delegating duties as appropriate.

To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the

region.

To adopt a collaborative working relationship

with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning

and set uniform standards of service delivery.

To input into provider organisations learning

from deaths programmes.

To participate in a MEO mentor programme, for support,

personal and service development

Knowledge and skills required

for post

Registered

with a licence to practice in the UK by the GMC.

As

a pre-condition of practicing, an ME must have successfully completed the

mandatory components of the national online medical examiner curriculum. Face-to-face training must be completed

within the first three months of being in post.

Behavioural attributes

MEs

should be aware of how their personal communication style impacts on others and

be able to adapt their approach to suit a variety of situations and audiences. This will require:

Highly evolved self-awareness and empathetic

skills to liaise effectively and sympathetically with bereaved families.

The ability to demonstrate and combine

appropriate levels of compassion with professionalism and discretion.

Being open to constructive criticism, ideas and

solutions.

Acting as a positive role model and interacting

appropriately with all stakeholders including MEOs, other MEs, the bereaved and

the coroner.

Having the integrity to gain trust and comply

with the independent nature of the ME role in the context of other clinical

specialty duties.

Communications

and key working relationships

To be a source of expert knowledge and

advice for health professionals and wider stakeholder groups; these include:

Medical Directors

All grades of clinicians

Clinical governance leads

MEOs and bereavement service staff.

Mortuary staff.

Coroners and their officers.

Registrar of births and deaths and their

officers.

Local Authorities, including care homes and

safeguarding teams.

Spiritual and faith community leaders.

Lead MEs and lead MEOs

Regional and National Medical Examiner.

MEs must have up-to-date knowledge of

medical conditions and treatments and be able to exercise judgement about when

to seek specialist advice.

MEs must have detailed knowledge of the

Relevant legislation and processes which apply to

The determination of whether a death is natural

or unnatural

Deaths that must be reported to the coroner

Deaths abroad where bodies are returned to

England and Wales for disposal

Deaths where relatives wish to transport the

body abroad for disposal

Certifying and registering deaths and the

regulations to authorise cremation or burials of stillbirths abroad.

Accountability

MEs

will have professional independence in scrutinising deaths but will be

accountable to the employing organisations Board for achieving agreed

standards or levels of performance.

MEs

will have an independent professional line of accountability to a regional

structure of NHS Improvement/NHS England outside the employing organisation and

immediate line management structure.

MEs

will comply with guidance issued by the National Medical Examiner when carrying

out ME duties.

Safety and Quality

Clinical Governance

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large

acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute

services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a

larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from

three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our

caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred

care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to

work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our

everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise

accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working

within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a

DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check

(at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting

Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Communication and teamwork

Personal qualities and behavioural attributes

Safety and Quality - Clinical Governance

Qualifications