Job summary
- Main area
- Mortuary
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 188-CL181125
- Employer
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Southampton General Hospital
- Town
- Southampton
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 per annum or per annum pro rata
- Closing
- 27/11/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 04/12/2025
Employer heading
Mortuary Assistant - Other Healthcare Scientist
Band 3
Job overview
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.
Please see below for the detailed job description of the role.
Main duties of the job
The Mortuary Assistant plays a vital role in supporting the delivery of safe, dignified, and professional mortuary services. This position provides essential assistance to the Anatomical Pathology Technologists (APTs) and wider Bereavement and Mortuary Estates teams, ensuring the respectful care and management of the deceased while maintaining the highest standards of hygiene, security, and operational efficiency.
As a key member of the mortuary team, the post holder contributes to the smooth running of daily activities, including preparation areas, post-mortem support, and liaison with funeral directors and clinical teams. By upholding strict procedural and infection control standards, the Mortuary Assistant helps safeguard both staff and public confidence in the service.
This role directly supports the organisation’s commitment to providing compassionate end-of-life and bereavement care, promoting excellence in service delivery and compliance with national and local regulations.
The Mortuary Assistant will work under the supervision of the Senior Anatomical Pathology Technologist and collaborate closely with Anatomical Pathology Technologists, Bereavement Care Officers, Estates personnel, and other healthcare professionals to ensure an efficient and sensitive service at all times.
Working for our organisation
University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.
Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.
We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.
At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.
At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Your Responsibilities
What you’ll do:
1 -Provide day-to-day support within the mortuary, ensuring the respectful care, handling, and identification of the deceased at all times, including adult and paediatric cases.
2 - Manage and transport samples, tissues, and documentation accurately, maintaining full traceability and compliance with infection control and health and safety standards.
3- Maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene within the mortuary environment, including equipment cleaning, waste disposal, and preparation of work areas.
4 -Support the coordination and release of deceased individuals to funeral directors and relevant authorities, ensuring timely, professional, and compassionate communication.
UHS mortuary department continuously seeks opportunities to develop our service and we actively encourage the suggestions & involvement of all staff in all improvement projects. We collaborate widely with a range of other teams and staff groups within the Trust to improve the experience of our service users and raise the profile of mortuary services and the importance of care after death. We also support research and development and have close links with the University of Southampton faculties of Medicine and Life Sciences.
What we’re looking for
Applications are invited from candidates who are enthusiastic about learning and embrace positive change.
We are looking for a highly motivated, flexible & resilient individual, who values & works well within a team environment. You must be capable of working effectively and efficiently in a fast-paced and dynamic mortuary environment, whilst prioritising the care & dignity of the deceased. High attention to detail and organisational skills are a must, and you must be able to communicate compassionately and professionally when interacting with bereaved relatives and a diverse range of service users.
The role may include participation in an out of hours rota covering nights, weekends and bank holidays to ensure consistent service delivery
A driving licence is necessary to support out hours working.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo enhanced DBS clearance and Occupational Health screening due to the sensitive nature of the work.
Person specification
Trust Values
Essential criteria
- Patients First
- Always Improving
- Working Together
Qualifications, knowledge, and experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a busy administrative environment
- Experience in a customer facing role.
- ECDL or equivalent.
- NVQ3 in Administration or working towards.
- Able to present information to others.
- Able to use judgement and initiative to provide information and support
- Able to apply tact and sensitivity to establish trust and confidence
- Empathetic approach to dealing with and resolving enquiries
- Previous administrative experience in a similar setting
- Able to compose correspondence and reports.
- Be able to cope with seeing and hearing sensitive & distressing information within a bereavement setting
- To have read and understood basics of Caldicott principles and GDPR
- Uses of empathy and emotional intelligence when dealing with difficult situations
- Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with a wide range of patients, in situations where there may be barriers to understanding (e.g. language difficulties, anxious or distressed parents/families
- Understands the importance of confidentiality and takes responsibility for protecting confidential information.
Desirable criteria
- NHS or public sector experience
- Working with funeral directors/coroner’s service
- Knowledge & Experience in using Patient Management System
- Knowledge of medical Terminology
- Knowledge of patient management systems. Good understanding of the coronial system
- Good working knowledge of mortuary practices.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Catrin Dudfield
- Job title
- Paediatric and Training Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 023 8120 6306
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