Detailed job description and main responsibilities

TECHNICAL DUTIES

·       Ensure that accurate records are kept and maintained including mortuary registers and information on IT systems.

·       Perform external examinations and accurately record findings

·       To meet the needs of relatives and users if the service.

·       To ensure high standards within the Bereavement Care Service within the mortuary setting ensuring families are supported through viewing the deceased and understanding of Coroners post mortems, and CTPM procedures.

·       To have a working knowledge of the systems in place relating to death certification.

·       To ensure systems are in place for the return of property and valuables to the next of kin. This will include secure storage of valuables and a robust audit trail of such items.

·       To ensure systems are in place for supported viewings of deceased by their families

·       To ensure systems are in place for forensic identification 24/7 from Lancashire police murder investigation teams

·       To ensure high standards of technical services to pathologists and other service users.

·       To ensure all bodies received and released from the mortuary are properly and correctly identified.

·       To ensure the dignity of the deceased is maintained at all times.

·       To be responsible for managing a timely and effective body release procedure for undertakers, ensuring all documentation is maintained and correct.

·       To assist pathologists in performing post-mortem examinations, evisceration and reconstruction of bodies including high-risk cases.

·       To participate in the on-call rota.

·       To ensure that the preparation and reconstruction of the deceased prior to release or viewing is carried out to the highest possible standards using prosthetics where possible to reconstruct skeletal disruption and cosmetic camouflage and plastic surgery techniques on facial reconstruction following trauma

·       To develop and maximise the use of the teaching facilities within the postmortem suite promoting a service for education and training of surgical procedures on cadaveric specimens.

·        To deliver a high risk autopsy service within the mortuary providing a service to other coroners from the north/north west of England

·       To develop the service to meet the needs of the coroner, police and forensic pathologists and local authorities in and around the North West.

·        To develop the forensic services within the mortuary covering East Lancashire. Provide a provisional service to Lancashire and Cumbria in the event of a large incident.

·       Develop and maintain the safe use of all the equipment within the department

·       At the request of the coroner act as the lead technician in the event of a mass fatality or major incident within Merseyside and Lancashire areas

·       Attend and liaise with all local authorities within East Lancashire and act as the principle lead for the trust in mass fatality, excess deaths and major incident planning for mortuary services.

·       To liaise with tissue transplant team as necessary.

MANAGERIAL DUTIES

·       To monitor performance of the mortuary and bereavement service in line with agreed KPIs

·       To ensure there are adequate stocks of consumables maintained for use within the mortuary.

·        Providing and receiving complex, sensitive or contentious information

·       To assess the need for new equipment within the mortuary reporting to the directorate manager.

·       Ensure all equipment used in the mortuary (including specialist equipment such as saws etc) is maintained and is fit for purpose  including all temperature checks are undertaken on body storage areas

·       To ensure the provision of a 24/7 on call service is delivered and maintained in line with the European Working time Directive.

·       To ensure SOPs and policies are written, maintained and implemented across all sites.

·       To ensure all documentation relating to organ retention is implemented and maintained.

·       To implement an audit system of documentation and/or processes and procedures.

·       To develop liaisons with internal and external users of the service.

·       To develop a co-ordinated approach to bereavement services

·       Maintain a database for the receipt, use and disposal of cadaveric specimens

·       Act as the mortuary and bereavement services lead for mass fatality or major incident within Lancashire attending relevant meeting/workshops and be able to advise and implement the contents of such policies

·       Assist in the planning of Highly Complex forensic cases with the highest ranking officers within the police force.

·       To act as liaison with other Trust committees as appropriate e.g. tissue services and organ transplant.