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Job summary

Main area
Administration
Grade
Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
162-7111-PA
Employer
Barking Havering and Redbridge Univ Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Medical Examiners Service
Town
Romford
Salary
£34,521 - £41,956 Per annum inclusive
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
29/06/2025 23:59

Employer heading

NHS

Band 5 Medical Examiner Officer

Band 5

 

PEOPLE are at the HEART of everything we do

This video gives a flavour of what it is like to work at our Trust and why some of our staff love working here 💙

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lePIUCfMPLk

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen to become part of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) Medical Examiner Service, as a Medical Examiner Officer (MEO).

The ME Service has recently been established across England and Wales to improve the quality of death certification and provide an independent layer of scrutiny when somebody passes away. This system is designed to give bereaved families a voice and better understand the circumstances surrounding a death. As of the 9th September 2024 this service has become statutory meaning it will be mandatory for all deaths to be scrutinised by the Medical Examiner Service or investigated by HMC.

We recognise that MEOs are integral to the service and are fundamental in allowing Medical Examiners to conduct timely scrutiny of deaths that occur at our acute hospitals or in the community. This role is cross-site, meaning the successful candidate will work at both Queen's Hospital and King George Hospital on a rostered basis (a free staff shuttle bus can be used to transit between sites).

This is a small, collaborative team where every member feels valued and is encouraged to innovate and perform at their best. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic and passionate about contributing to our growing service. Additionally, due to the nature of the role the successful candidate 

Main duties of the job

This role is primarily focused in supporting Medical Examiners (ME) to complete a timely, independent scrutiny of deaths which occur in our remit. On a day-to-day basis this usually involves:

• Entering patient data into our IT systems
• Conducting a 'pre-scrutiny' to ensure all relevant information has been provided and summarise key clinical or circumstantial information regarding the patient
• Contacting relatives on behalf of the medical examiner of deceased patients before the death certificate is issued to establish if they have any concerns or questions about the death
• Escalating concerns/issues to the relevant service or person
• Submitting the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to the Registration services upon completion
• Liaising with other stakeholders e.g. bereavement staff, doctors, the coroners office etc

As we operate in a culturally diverse population, we have established a seven-day service to enable respectful compliance with tight timescales in accordance with the funeral wishes/practices of various faith groups. This means the successful candidate will be expected to participate in rostered weekend work, in addition to standard Monday-Friday work.

Working for our organisation

We’re an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we’re proud of and our patients are happy with. We’re no longer in special measures; we’ve opened two new theatres at our Elective Surgical Hub in King George Hospital (KGH); and Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, was named the top CEO by the Health Service Journal in 2024.
 
We operate from two main sites – KGH in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 330,000 people visiting them last year. We’re campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen’s and get rid of corridor care. 
 
Our patients are benefitting from our Women’s Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub in Hornchurch. 
 
These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and are providing an extra 94,000 scans a year. 
 
The majority of our 8,000 staff – who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We’re proud to be a London Living Wage employer.
 
We’re looking forward to introducing an electronic patient record that will be transformative for our staff and beneficial for our patients. 

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.

The person specification listed below is not the full specification requirements for the role.  Please ensure you review the full specification on the job description prior to submitting your application.

Applicants are advised to read all the information on the advert and the supporting information before completing and submitting an application. As you complete your application please ensure you clearly demonstrate how you meet the criteria in the person specification for this post by adequately completing the supporting information section of the application form.

All new staff appointed at the Trust are subject to a probationary period.

Applications should be made online, however, queries regarding the application process, assistance with completion of the application form or if you require any adjustments (for applicants with a disability) please contact Paul Awosika, Recruitment Advisor, on 01708 435000 ext. 5989. Further details regarding the post may be obtained by contacting the manager as per the contact details above.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Educated to Bachelor’s degree level or equivalent working knowledge in related field.
  • A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
  • Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post.

Skills/ Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders.
Desirable criteria
  • Competent in the use of IT software systems (e.g. MS Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and handling sensitive personal identifiable data

Experience/ Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • •Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following a death.
  • Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organisational boundaries.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationAge positiveMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerNHS Pastoral CareArmed Forces Covenant Bronze Award

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rozana Bera
Job title
Medical examiner officer
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01708435000
Additional information

Ext. 3307

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