The Medical Examiner Service at RWT has been established successfully since 2019. We are now working to expand our service to support the review of deaths that occur in the non‑acute sector and to also fill a vacancy amongst our current establishment. We currently have 11 MEs working on the Rota and wish to invite applications from those interested in joining the Rota to expand the service for 2 PA/Session per week.
Our service of Medical Examiner(s) and Medical Examiner Officer(s) combine clinical and administrative skills, compassion and sensitivity and a commitment to engage with bereaved families to complete a review of every in‑hospital death. This service has been expanded to undertake review of non‑coronial deaths in the community also.
In addition to effective scrutiny of MCCDs (death certificates), MEs will provide medical advice to coroners and advice to certifying doctors. They will work with NHS colleagues to use the information they collect to support clinical governance and they will assist in training doctors and other healthcare professionals on the appropriate certification of death.
Main duties of the job
A Medical Examiner must be a medical practitioner, registered with the General Medical Council and maintaining a licence to practise by compliance with the GMC requirements for revalidation. They must meet the essential requirements of the person specification and comply with the duties set out in the job description.
We are seeking from experienced clinicians who wish to take up the additional role that will be remunerated on a sessional basis. Currently we wish to appoint MEs to fill a vacancy that has arisen. The minimum commitment is 1 PA / Session per week. The PA/Session time which we require cover for is as follows and therefore the successful candidate will need to be able to cover one of the following sessions:
* Thursday AM
* Thursday PM
Successful candidates are expected to complete the e‑Learning module for medical examiners and any additional training, as specified by the Medical Examiners committee of the RCPath before commencing work as a medical examiner. MEs should maintain an up‑to‑date knowledge of clinical causes of death, together with death certification requirements and processes (https://www.rcpath.org/profession/committees/medical-examiners.html).
About us
The Black Country Pathology Service (BCPS) is the Hub site based at Royal Wolverhampton New Cross Hospital NHS Trust and is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services and we are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. Were passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients.
We are delighted that we have been rated as Good by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020.
The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and as such will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.
Job responsibilities
Medical practitioners must be registered by the General Medical Council to practise in the UK. The candidate must have been registered as a medical practitioner and in practice throughout the previous five years as at the date of appointment. The medical examiners will undergo online training offered by Health Education England.
The main responsibilities of the ME are to:
* Ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current processes of certification, investigation (by coroners) and registration of deaths within a Local Authority area
* The Medical Examiners will attend the Bereavement Office Monday to Friday to review those deaths where the responsible clinical team attend to complete the required processes with an option to join the Out of Hours service at weekends and Bank Holidays.
* Support those doctors preparing an MCCD
* Identify those deaths which need discussion or referral with the coroner
* Scrutinise the certified causes of all in‑hospital deaths in a way that is compliant with proposed national protocols.
* Work closely with the bereavement Nurse/ office and take into account concerns and complaints raised by family members which may trigger a referral to the coroner or review via the Serious Incident framework.
* Review the notes of all deaths in appropriate detail to ensure that further review is conducted as needed
* Identify all deaths that require mandatory review. The medical examiner scrutiny also selects cases which require a second tier, in‑depth structured judgement review
* Maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis and provide information as required to Office of National Statistics & locally for clinical governance purposes
* Work with the any other local medical examiner(s) in the Trust to arrange reciprocal cover for holidays and other periods of absence
* Ensure that there is no potential conflict of interest between the medical examiner and the death being scrutinised
* Explain to bereaved relatives the cause of death in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner, which respects different faith, cultural, ethnic and diversity considerations.
* Explore any concerns that the bereaved relatives have about the care received by the patient, and take further action as needed
* Support the training of junior doctors in completion of MCCDs and provide feedback on accuracy of certification locally
* Undertake a period of initial training according to national guidelines, with local orientation where local rules exist eg Coroners
* Update training as necessary in the light of developing legislation and advice on the role of the Medical Examiner
Further information regarding this role is provided within the attached Job Description and Person Specification.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC. The candidate must have been registered as a medical practitioner throughout the previous five years as at the date of appointment.
* Candidate should successfully complete the approved components of the national on‑line training curriculum as a precondition of employment as a Medical Examiner. Confirmation of appointment is subject to successful completion of face to face component of the national training curriculum.
* Commitment to maintain knowledge and keep skills up to date
Experience/Skills
Essential
* Working knowledge of practice in a healthcare environment, preferably in the UK.
* Up to date knowledge of clinical causes of death, together with death certification requirements and processes.
* Knowledge of legal framework and relevant jurisdiction relating to the process of death certification.
Experience / Skills
Essential
* Ability to identify good practice and ensure the spread of knowledge amongst relevant colleagues.
Communication Skills
Essential
* Ability to communicate effectively and with sensitivity with the relatives or representatives of the deceased when explaining the cause of death
* Ability to work within own team and closely with people in other disciplines
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