Main area Bereavement Support Officer Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 12 hours per week (Thursdays and Fridays but some bank holidays will need to be covered.) Job ref 100-AC168-0625
Employer Hywel Dda University Health Board Employer type NHS Site Withybush Hospital Town Haverfordwest Salary £26,928 - £29,551 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 20/07/2025 23:59 Interview date 04/08/2025
Bereavement Support Officer
Band 4
Our Hywel Dda values reflect who we are and how we behave. We continuously work together to be the best we can be as we strive to develop and deliver excellent services, putting people at the heart of everything we do. Throughout our recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you would demonstrate these values in the way that you work with us.
If you are registered Health Care professional considering relocating to the Hywel Dda area in West Wales please don’t hesitate to contact our recruitment campaigns team directly via RecruitmentCampaigns.hdd@wales.nhs.uk
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Hywel Dda University Health Board reserve the right to close vacancies after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. We encourage early applications to ensure consideration for a post.
Please be advised that there is a temporary top up for Bands 2 and 3 to reflect the incorporation of the top up to the living wage of £12.60 per hour - £24,638 per annum.
This temporary top up will be in place until the annual pay uplift for 2025/26 is confirmed.
Job overview
We are looking for an empathetic, caring, enthusiastic and motivated individual You need to be able to organise yourself and others, to co-ordinate a wide range of tasks within tight timescales, to work under pressure and show initiative. You will play an important role in the effective organisation and coordination of the Bereavement Service's
Bereavement Services are the team who work alongside the Medical Examiners team to arrange for the Medical Cause of Death Certificates for our deceased patients to be completed. Bereavement Services speak to and liaise with bereaved relatives and co-ordinate with the Medical Examiners team, the mortuary team, the Coroner's Office, funeral directors and Registrars. As a member of the team you must be computer literate, used to working on the telephone, able to listen and support the bereaved, as well as your colleagues.
If you are a hardworking, empathetic, organised and confident individual, with strong administration/IT skills we would love to hear from you.
"It is our one chance to embed the safest possible memories at the worst time in someone's life"
Main duties of the job
The successful applicants will be kind and compassionate by nature, while also being professional and dedicated to delivering a proactive and efficient service to bereaved families at a distressing time. You will be someone who is methodical, calm under pressure, possess excellent IT skills, able to cope with change in demands and most importantly a team player. You will also be able to manage a caseload without direct supervision and work independently. You will be detail-focused and keen to develop your skills through the role and to actively support development of the services.
Excellent communications skills; in-person, on the telephone, virtually and in writing are essential, as you will be communicating with anxious and distressed bereaved people, as well as various other professional agencies such as the medical examiners, His Majesty's Coroner, funeral directors and registrars of deaths. You will work closely with the wards and with clinicians to coordinate timely arrangements for bereaved people.
Working for our organisation
Hywel Dda University Health Board plans and provides NHS healthcare services for people living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and bordering counties.
We have over 13,000 staff and together we provide primary, community, in-hospital, mental health and learning disabilities services.
We work in partnership with the three local authorities, as well as public, private and third sector colleagues, including our valued team of volunteers.
Our services are provided in:
* Four main hospitals: Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth; Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen; Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli; and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest
* Five community hospitals: Amman Valley and Llandovery hospitals in Carmarthenshire; Tregaron Hospital in Ceredigion; and Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals in Pembrokeshire
* Two integrated care centres: Aberaeron and Cardigan in Ceredigion, and several other community settings
* 47 general practices (six of which are health board managed practices); dental practices (including four orthodontic); 97 community pharmacies; 43 general ophthalmic practices; and 8 ophthalmic domiciliary providers
* Numerous mental health and learning disabilities services
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will be able to find a full job description and person specification attached within the supporting documents.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.
The Health Board is committed to supporting its staff to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing patient and service user experiences. In our commitment to increase the number of staff who are able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we welcome applications from Welsh speakers.
The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for this post. If you do not meet the Welsh Language requirements specified, the Health Board offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal desirable requirements during the course of your employment with us.
Interviews will be held on 04.08.25
Person specification
Qualifications and Knowledge
* Level III or equivalent experience
* Experience of a full range of duties working in an administrative/ clinical environment.
* Knowledge of medical/healthcare terminology
Language Skills
* Welsh Speaker (Level 1)
Experience
* Experience of working in a busy complex environment
* Working as part of a team and can work autonomously
* Familiar and competent with Microsoft IT packages (including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Email)
* Experience working in a Bereavement service or relevant third sector
* Experience of working in the NHS
Other
* Flexible approach to the needs of the service
Aptitudes and Abilities
* Ability to deal with distressed individuals on a daily basis
* Demonstrate good organisational skills.
* Understanding of Confidentiality
* Compassionate and sensitive to the needs of others
Hywel Dda University Health Board operates a bilingual policy. All applicants are invited to apply in Welsh, any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR APPLICANTS: Applications for our roles are carefully reviewed and shortlisted based on specific criteria, which varies from job to job. Using a generic application to apply for multiple roles or relying on automated AI application services, such as Lazy Apply or AI Apply, may not provide the necessary information, leading to your application being overlooked. To ensure your application is given full consideration, we recommend submitting a tailored application that directly addresses the criteria listed in the Person Specification section of the advert.
By submitting your application to NHS Jobs/Trac, you are giving your consent for elements of your application data to be transferred to the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and other secure, internal NHS Workforce systems in order to support and manage your recruitment and employment within your employing organisation; to be used by Recruitment for purposes of checking your Professional Registration online (where applicable).
These processes are in line with Fair and Lawful processing in line with current Data Protection Legislation especially those in relation to your personal or sensitive personal data (sensitive personal data is defined as any declared physical or mental health conditions, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, trade union membership, political opinion, religious beliefs). As an organisation, we ensure that the legislation defining confidentiality is observed such as use of data for specific, defined purposes, and use of data that is relevant and not excessive whilst practicing data accuracy and security of all held personal identifiable information (PII)
If you are successfully appointed, by completing the application form you authorise the UHB to obtain any previous NHS service details including all electronically held sickness information, via the Inter Authority Transfer process on the national Electronic Staff Record (ESR).
To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK. If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 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.
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