Overview
The Medical Examiner service is established within the acute Trust and in the local Community, Hospices, Mental Health Trusts and Private hospitals. We cover a large population in Wakefield, Pontefract and North Kirklees. Our Medical Examiner service involves working with 2 Coroners (Leeds/Wakefield and Bradford) and 2 Registrar services (Wakefield and North Kirklees). Doctors working in acute Trusts as well as non-acute sector doctors/GPs would be welcomed to apply for this role.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an important statutory service underpinned by the recent Death Certification reforms under the guidance of the National Medical Examiner delivering:
* A unified approach to the medical certification of death
* Proportionate and independent scrutiny of all non Coronial deaths
* Accurate certification of death
* Chance for the bereaved to ask questions and discuss issues
* A system that learns from errors and poor practice
Each post will be appointed for a period of three years in the first instance. Subject to mutual agreement, this contract may be extended for a further three-year term. Appointment will involve the Regional Medical Examiner, the Trusts Deputy Medical Director (Quality and Patient Safety) and the Trusts Lead Medical Examiner. The time allowance for this post will be 1PA plus 0.19 PAs and 3 % Cat A on-call supplement for participation in our out of hours ME service at weekends and on Bank Holidays.
Key Responsibilities
The Medical Examiner (ME) service has been statutory since 9th September 2024 and now involves independent scrutiny of all non Coronial deaths within acute Trusts and the Community. It also involves scrutiny of deaths in local hospices, Mental Health Trusts and private hospitals. MEs will:
* 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
* scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol
* 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
* 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
* maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office
* participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits
* support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs
* work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate
* engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region
* adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery
* be required to participate in any relevant governance activities relating to scrutiny and confirmation of the cause of death where concerns have been raised by the next of kin/informant of the deceased and/or clinical staff and ME scrutiny
* facilitate routine analysis of MCCD information to identify trends, patterns and unusual features of deaths and report, as required, firstly to the regional Lead ME and ultimately to the National Medical Examiners office
* provide information to local Child Death Overview panels in respect of all child deaths which are not being investigated by the coroner
About us
We provide care and support to over half a million people in Wakefield and Kirklees in their homes, in community settings and across our three hospital sites at Pontefract, Dewsbury and Pinderfields (in Wakefield).
Always striving for excellence, we are at the forefront of innovation and research and we invest in teaching and the development of our workforce. We live by our values of caring, improving, being respectful and maintaining high standards. We listen and learn because we aim to make Mid Yorkshire the best place to work and the best place to receive care.
We have a clear vision, and you could be part of this! If you share our values and you want to make a difference to the lives of our patients and their families and carers, we would love to hear from you.
Job responsibilities
The post of Medical Examiner has been created in response to observations made in the Third Report of the Shipman Inquiry to promote robust, transparent and independent scrutiny of death certification processes.
Medical examiners (MEs) are part of a national network of specifically trained independent senior doctors overseen by the National Medical Examiner for NHS England who are responsible for scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death in non-coronial cases to ensure appropriate referrals to the Coroner, accuracy and consistency of MCCD content and to identify concerns re care prior to death. The ME service has been statutory since 9th September 2024 and now involves independent scrutiny of all non Coronial deaths within acute Trusts and the Community. It also involves scrutiny of deaths in local hospices, Mental Health Trusts and private hospitals.
Applicant working in both acute Trusts as well as non-acute sector doctors /GPs would be welcomed to apply for this role.
MEs are appropriately trained 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. A practising medical practitioner who has been on the General Medical Council register for a minimum of five years post registration can apply to be an ME. MEs will adopt a consistent approach to the formulation of MCCD content agreed with the attending practitioner, which must be clinically accurate and reflect any discussions with the next of kin/informant.
Key Responsibilities
* as above
Additional duties include:
* 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
* scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the proposed national protocol
* discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner
* 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
* maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised
* support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion of MCCDs
* work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate
* engage with the Lead ME and Lead MEO for the Trust
* adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery
* participate in governance activities relating to scrutiny and confirmation of the cause of death where concerns have been raised
* facilitate routine analysis of MCCD information to identify trends and report to the regional Lead ME and National Medical Examiners office
* provide information to local Child Death Overview panels for all child deaths not being investigated by the coroner
Accountability
MEs will have professional independence in scrutinising deaths, but will be accountable to the employing organisations Board for achieving agreed standards or levels of performance. They will have an independent professional line of accountability to the Lead Medical Examiner for the organisation and to a regional NHS England structure, and must comply with guidance issued by the National Medical Examiner when carrying out ME duties.
Communications and working relationships
MEs will be a source of expert knowledge and advice for health professionals and wider stakeholder groups, including internal and external partners such as:
* Internal: Medical Director, all grades of clinicians, clinical governance leads, MEOs and bereavement service staff, mortuary staff
* External: Coroners and their officers, Registrar of births and deaths, Local Authorities (care homes and safeguarding teams), spiritual/fait h leaders, other health care providers including GPs, Lead MEs and Lead MEOs, National Medical Examiner
The post is based at Pinderfields Hospital, but duties will involve scrutiny of deaths across all sites within the Trust and/or within the North Kirklees and Wakefield Communities and local Hospices, Mental Health Trusts and Private hospitals.
Terms & Conditions and Tenure
The post will be appointed for a period of three years in the first instance. Subject to mutual agreement, this contract may be extended. The PA allowance will be 1 session on a Friday (am or pm to be decided) to replace the current retiring Medical Examiner. The successful postholder will be expected to hold a job plan of not more than 12 PAs if a Hospital doctor or equivalent for GPs unless explicitly agreed with the Medical Director. We have an established out of hours service at weekends and on Bank Holidays and successful applicants will be expected to participate in this rota on a 1:14 basis which carries an allowance of 0.19 PAs and a 3% Cat A on-call allowance.
For Hospital Doctors the post is based on the prevailing national TCS and pay scales for either Consultants or Specialist doctors depending on whether the candidate possesses CCT or CESR. GPs will be engaged as Specialist doctors for this element of their work week on prevailing national TCS and pay scales. These may be obtained from the NHS Employers website or provided upon request.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Medical or dental practitioner with postgraduate qualifications or appropriate HR or management qualification
* Candidates must have successfully completed the mandatory e-learning modules by the time they start the role
* Candidates must attend a face-to-face training session within the first three months in post
* Started or completed the online ME national training
GMC Registration
* Please state GMC number
* Full GMC Registration with licence to practise with a minimum of five years practice post registration
Knowledge
* MEs should have up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes
* Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity
* 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
* Knowledge of recent development in medical education and of key issues
* Knowledge of the training process for ME
Personal Attributes
* 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
* 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. Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism
* Ability to work effectively and efficiently within own 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
* 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
Experience
* Consultant, SAS Grade Doctor or GP
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.
Depending on experience, see Terms & Conditions in job description
#J-18808-Ljbffr