Medical Examiner
Closing date 04 May 2026
Medical Examiners (MEs) are senior doctors who verify clinical information on Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs) to ensure appropriate referrals to the Coroner and accuracy and consistency of MCCD content. They are responsible for scrutinising the documentation and circumstances arising from non‑coronial deaths in England and Wales, adopting a consistent approach to formulation of MCCD content that is clinically accurate and reflects any discussions with the next of kin or informant. MEs must not have been involved in the care of the deceased patients for deaths they scrutinise. MEs and their Officers are also required to ensure that the bereaved have an opportunity to raise concerns about the care of the deceased so that these are recognised and passed to the clinical team or the relevant governance team.
Main duties of the job
* Work within the team of Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers to deliver timely and appropriate scrutiny of deaths within the catchment area of the Medical Examiners' Office.
* Ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths.
* Scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a proportionate, consistent and compliant manner with the proposed changes in national guidance.
* Discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin or informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner, predominantly through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding may exist.
Job responsibilities
* Work within the team of Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers to deliver timely scrutiny of deaths within the catchment area of the Medical Examiners Office.
* Ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the reformed processes of certification, investigation by coroners and registration of deaths.
* Scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a proportionate, consistent and compliant manner with the proposed national guidance.
* Discuss and explain the cause of death with next of kin or informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner, predominantly through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding 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.
* Identify deaths that could potentially be reported as clinical incidents to the treating doctor or organisation to allow learning through clinical governance processes.
* Maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised on the Trust electronic ME software system.
* Undertake analysis of the records to provide information to the National Medical Examiners (NME) office.
* Participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification, including audits, mortality review processes and investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care.
* 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 delegating duties as appropriate.
* Adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.
Knowledge, skills and performance
As a pre‑condition of practising, you must have successfully completed the mandatory components of the national online medical examiner curriculum. Face‑to‑face training must be completed within the first three months of being in post. You will be expected to comply with national protocols to ensure that, in each case, the cause of death is scrutinised in a proportionate and consistent manner. You must have up‑to‑date knowledge of medical conditions, treatments and medicines that may or may not have contributed to death, and must be able to exercise judgement regarding where to seek specialist advice to determine the appropriate level of scrutiny.
You must have detailed knowledge of the relevant legislation and processes which apply to:
* The determination of whether a death is natural or unnatural
* Deaths that must be reported to the coroner
* Deaths abroad where bodies are returned to England and Wales for disposal
* Deaths where relatives wish to transport the body abroad for disposal
You will have regard for guidance issued by the NME when carrying out your ME functions.
MEs should be aware of how their personal communication style impacts on others and be able to adapt their approach to suit a variety of situations and audiences. This requires:
* Clinical and professional experience gained during a career working at a senior level in either primary or secondary care, e.g. Consultant or senior General Practitioner.
* Highly evolved self‑awareness and empathetic skills to liaise effectively with bereaved families.
* The ability to demonstrate and combine appropriate levels of compassion with professionalism and discretion.
* Being open to constructive criticism, ideas and solutions.
* Acting as a positive role model and interacting appropriately with all stakeholders including MEOs, other MEs, the bereaved and the coroner.
* Having the integrity to gain trust and comply with the independent nature of the ME role in the context of other clinical specialty duties.
MEs must avoid any potential conflicts of interest as defined in the national guidance.
Clinical Governance
The postholder will participate in clinical governance activities, including clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, risk management and quality improvement activities as required by the Trust and external accrediting bodies. MEs may be asked to participate in any relevant governance activities relating to scrutiny and confirmation of the cause of death where concerns have been raised by next of kin or informants or clinical staff.
MEs will 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 NMEs office.
Accountability
You will have professional independence in scrutinising deaths but will be accountable to the National Medical Examiner for achieving agreed standards or levels of performance. For those MEs who did not have a Responsible Officer for the purpose of Medical Revalidation, the Trust's Chief Medical Officer offers support through the Revalidation Office. MEs will have a local line management responsibility to the Lead Medical Examiner, Regional Lead Medical Examiner and National Medical Examiner.
Medical Examiners enjoy the same NHS indemnity as any other NHS medical employee.
Person Specification
Essential and desirable
* Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC.
* Candidates must have successfully completed the mandatory e‑learning modules by the time they start the role and attend a face‑to‑face training session within the first three months in post.
* IT skills including use of email and commonly used software.
* Good spoken and written English. Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills.
* Commitment to maintain knowledge and keep skills up to date.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require a Disclosure and Barring Service check to examine any previous criminal convictions.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
£109,725 to £145,478 a year, Dependant on experience
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