Lead Medical Examiner Officer

at  Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

The post holder will assist the Lead Medical Examiner to implement and roll out the service across the health economy, analysing and evaluating the service. Provide leadership, line management of the medical examiner officer , budget responsibility and training for medical examiners officers ensuring there is cover for the medical examiner office at all times and for planned leave To act as an intermediary between the bereaved and clinicians to establish and resolve any concerns relating to a patients death or care before death. Work with medical examiners to aid them in their responsibility for overseeing the death certification process for all deceased patients in the organisation. To establish the circumstances of individual patient deaths by performing a preliminary review of medical records to identify clinical and circumstantial information, sourcing additional details where required, for scrutiny by the medical examiner.
To assist in highlighting cases for assessment by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR), Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review Teams (LeDeR). To refer patients to the coroner for further investigation on approval by the Medical Examiner. Maintain an awareness of the diverse needs of users of the Medical Examiner service to ensure equality to any particular group defined by sex, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. To produce and present analytical reports, guidance policy and SOPS with the support of the Lead ME sharing these with the Trust to enhance learning.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required: Educated to Batchelors degree level, or evidence of study/equivalent practical experience at an advanced level; this might include nursing and/or other clinical experience. To have qualifications/skills in day-to-day operational/process management of a customer-facing service where users may have unpredictable and emotionally charged needs. Highly evolved empathy and self-awareness skills to deal with bereaved families who may have barriers to understanding information due to their grief or disability. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
To have an understanding of medical terminology that enables informed discussions about causes/circumstances of death with bereaved families, clinicians, coroner and registration service staff. Knowledge of the statutory process around death certification legal frameworks and how the Medical Examiner service aligns with other related organisations and NHS initiatives. The ability to work in a highly pressurised, unpredictable environment where bereavement care is central to the service delivery. Specialist knowledge of various faith groups funeral wishes/practices to enable respectful compliance with tight and specific timescales and procedures.
Computer literate to use multiple IT software for recording personal identifiable data and producing statistical information for the National Medical Examiners office and Public Health surveillance. Analytical skills, report writing and presenting skills Human Resource knowledge and experience including roster management, attendance management, training and development. Key Result Areas: Be able to deal with conflicting demands, prioritise tasks and deal with queries as they arise. Identify relatives concerns and escalate them appropriately.
Full compliance with secure handling of patient identifiable data is essential. Contribute to and review departmental policies and procedures to reflect best practice in the delivery of a medical examiner system. Produce and write analytical reports for the service and present to relevant staff Deliver training to hospital and community staff across the health economy. Most Challenging Part of The Role: Regular interaction with the bereaved relatives in person or over the telephone.
The post holder must have the ability to demonstrate empathy and remain professional at all times. Physical Effort and Working Conditions: There is significant emotional effort associated with dealing with bereaved families on a day to day basis . To use a computer for prolonged periods of time daily. Communication and Relationship Skills Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders.
Assist in maintaining an effective communication network; written, verbal and electronic, informing senior staff of all matters outside your role/sphere of competence; cascading information to more junior staff. Develops and maintain communication with people about difficult matters or difficult situations, in an appropriate, supportive and empathic manner. Analytical and Judgmental Skills Complete documentation on untoward incidents, produce reports as requested by line managers, and take part in Clinical Audit review. Participates in audit and evaluation programmes as requested.
Use results from audits and any other data collection tools to influence and celebrate yours and others practice. Responsibilities For Policy And Service Development Work the Regional and national MEO to maintaining data and reports requested by NHS England Attend meeting both local, regional and national developing network support with other MEO Research And Development Comply with, and contribute to, quality standards and guidelines, and take part in Clinical Governance, CNST and Research and Development initiatives. Health, Safety And Security: All employees have a duty to report any accidents, complaints, defects in equipment, near misses and untoward incidents, following Trust procedure. To ensure that Health and Safety legislation is complied with at all times, including COSHH, Workplace Risk Assessment and Control of Infection.
Confidentiality: Working within the Trust you may gain knowledge of confidential matters which may include personal and medical information about patients and staff. Such information must be considered strictly confidential and must not be discussed or disclosed. Failure to observe this confidentiality could lead to disciplinary action being taken against you. Data Quality All employees are reminded about the importance of data quality and staff should make themselves aware of both departmental and corporate objectives for data quality.
Data quality forms part of the appraisal and objective setting process for staff responsible for data entry and data production; staff should ensure that they adhere to policies and procedures at all times. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action being taken. Codes Of Conduct And Accountability: You are expected to comply with relevant Bolton NHS Foundation Trust codes of conduct and accountability. Infection Prevention And Control: You must comply with all relevant policies, procedures and training on infection prevention and control.
Safeguarding Children And Vulnerable Adults: You must comply with all relevant policies, procedures and training on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Valuing Diversity And Promoting Equality: You must comply with all relevant policies, procedures and training on valuing diversity and promoting equality. Training: Managers are required to take responsibility for their own and their staffs development. All employees have a duty to complete all mandatory training sessions as required by the Trust.
Any other general requirements as appropriate to the post and location The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give a broad flavour of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the postholder

Please refer the Job description for details