Lead Medical Examiner Officer

at  Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

Full Time - 37.5 hours per week
The Medical Examiner Service at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has an opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated and flexible individual looking for a challenge in a post that is both interesting and varied to join our team.
The service operates flexibly over 5 days a week. You should have the ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service, including covering for colleagues during absence and annual leave.
The post holder will be tasked with leadership of the Medical Examiner Officers and will be able to drive forward the service to fit the needs of the people of Bolton.
The post holder will assist the lead Medical Examiner (ME) to implement and roll out the service across the health economy, analysing and evaluating the service.
The Lead MEO will produce and present analytical reports, guidance policy and SOPS with the support of the Lead ME sharing these with the Trust to enhance learning.
Provide leadership, line management, budget responsibility and training for medical examiners officers ensuring there is cover for the medical examiner office (MEO)at all times and for planned leave the MEO will also support medical examiners in their role in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death. To be a point of contact and source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals and coroner and registration services.
ere at Bolton our patients are at the heart of everything we do. We ensure our patients receive the highest quality of Care and are guided by our Trust Values. We are proud that our Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This is in recognition of the patient experience and quality of care that our staff provide to patients. It is also supported by our Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Framework for Professional Practice.
The aims of this Trust are to improve the health of our people and provide the best possible care to the population in which we serve and ensure that our staff have joy and pride in their work. We are striving to recruit a workforce that reflects the communities in which we serve. Staff are valued and we can offer excellent opportunities for further training and development.
The vision of this Trust is to be recognised by the people of Bolton and beyond as an excellent provider of health and care services and a great place to work. We are striving to attract, recruit and retain high calibre staff which reflect our communities. We are an inclusive employer who trains and develops our staff in a positive learning environment. We aim to be inclusive and therefore applications form all sectors of the community are welcomed.
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 patient’s 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 Batchelor’s 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 Examiner’s 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.

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.

CODES OF CONDUCT AND ACCOUNTABILITY:

You are expected to comply with relevant Bolton NHS Foundation Trust codes of conduct and accountability.