Job description

Job responsibilities

• 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.
• 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 ensure that all users of the ME system are treated with respect and are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability.
• To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office.
• 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 adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.
• The timetabling of the duties will be discussed after appointment with the successful candidate and the Lead Medical Examiner
• Support those doctors who call for medical advice on suspected natural causes of death before they prepare an MCCD, and provide general medical advice to the coroner.
• Work with the any other local medical examiner(s) to arrange reciprocal cover for holidays and other periods of absence and also to ensure that there is no potential conflict of interest between the medical examiner and the death being scrutinised.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Skills and Performance

Essential

• Fulfil the requirements for completion of Confirmatory Cremation Form 5 i.e. Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC of at least five years' standing
• A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
• Candidates will be required to successfully complete the mandatory e-learning modules and attend a face-to-face training session or there must be evidence that it will be completed within 3 months of appointment. (Substantive appointment will only be confirmed once this has been achieved.)
• MEs should have up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes.
• IT skills including use of email and commonly used software.
• Ability to manage and comply with sensitive information-based processes under tight timescales with a proportionate approach.
• Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity
• Knowledge and experience of all areas of healthcare environments especially community based healthcare services eg: General Practice and Mental Health

Safety and Quality

Essential

• Knowledge of local and national clinical governance systems and an understanding of how the ME can work collaboratively to improve patient safety by identifying sub-optimal clinical and organisational performance.
• Ability to identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge.
• Ability to identify and disseminate examples of good practice amongst relevant colleagues.

Communication and teamwork

Essential

• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently within a team and also closely with people in other disciplines
• Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions.

Personal qualities and behavioural attributes

Essential

• Proactive and self-motivated with a flexible working approach
• Have the resilience to manage own reaction to frequently distressing situations and support others within the team.
• To sustain professional integrity and independence at all times, particularly where there is the potential for a conflict of interest.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website .

Employer details

Employer name

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

BRI

Bradford,

BD9 6RJ