Job summary
- Main area
- Medical Examiners Office
- Grade
- NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant
- Contract
- 23 months (fixed term)
- Hours
- Part time
- Job share
- Job ref
- 389-25-7124375
- Employer
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- BRI
- Town
- Bradford,
- Salary
- £105,504 - £139,882 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 14/05/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Medical Examiner
NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant
Job overview
Closing Date due to be 14/05/2025, Shortlisting due week commencing 19/05/2025, and Interviews due week commencing 26/05/2025.
The Medical Examiner Service was created by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in response to the Shipman Inquiry. The purpose of the Medical Examiner Service is to provide independent oversight and safeguards for the scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths.
The Trust has an established Medical Examiner Office and is looking to recruit General Practitioners and senior doctors to help support the expansion of the office now that this has become a statutory requirement.
Applications are encouraged from General Practitioners and senior doctors of all specialties, particularly those with experience of working in the community and those who have a broad experience of health care settings to add to our current Medical Examiners.
Medical Examiners are senior medical doctors with 5 years post registration experience. The Medical Examiners are responsible for the scrutiny of the medical records of all the deceased patients that are not referred to the coroner. They discuss the proposed cause of death with clinical teams and they explain the cause of death to the bereaved families, and ascertain if there are any family concerns. Medical Examiners can also help to identify whether a case requires referral to the Coroners Office.
Main duties of the job
Medical examiners (MEs) are appropriately trained (typically senior) doctors who will verify clinical information on Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs) and ensure that the right referrals are made to the coroner for further investigation. MEs will take a consistent approach to the formulation of MCCD content, which must be clinically accurate and reflect any discussions with the next of kin/informant. MEs must not have been involved in the care of the deceased patients for deaths they scrutinise.
With the backing of the regional Lead Medical Examiner and local Coroner’s Office there is a collaborative arrangement between Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Both Trusts will have a Lead ME (1.00PA each) and a number of MEs working between organisations.
These appointments will be an expansion of the ME service to provide the scrutiny of all deaths in the catchment areas, including all deaths in the community. Therefore those applications with experience of working in or with all healthcare communities including General practice will be desirable.
Working for our organisation
Our People Charter outlines the behaviours we can expect from one another and what you can expect from Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust:
- We value people
- We are one team
- We care
We’re keen to meet people who share these values and are passionate about delivering the highest quality of care to our patients.
Detailed job description and main 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 Examiner’s 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 criteria
- 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 criteria
- 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 criteria
- 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 criteria
- 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.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Antony Parsons
- Job title
- Lead Medical Examiner Bradford
- Email address
- [email protected]
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