Main area Bereavement Services Grade NHS AfC: Band 2 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday) Job ref 190-1011-DIR-S
Employer Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Town Sheffield Salary £24,465 pa pro rata for part time staff Salary period Yearly Closing 20/10/2025 23:59 Interview date 03/11/2025
Bereavement Support Officer
NHS AfC: Band 2
We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes, health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.
Job overview
The care and support that people receive at the time of their bereavement can affect the whole bereavement process. The Trust has put in place systems, policies and practices to ensure they provide the best possible bereavement service for those whose loved ones have died in hospital.
Our Bereavement Support Officers are integral to the delivery of an efficient and effective administration service within the department. They are responsible for co-ordinating all of the paperwork that needs to be completed after death, such as the medical certificate of cause of death and any necessary cremation forms. They will talk with medical and nursing staff, funeral directors, the coroner’s office and the register office and various other outside agencies.
Main duties of the job
Undertake administration functions for the department, such as data input, photocopying, filing, letter writing, etc.
Undertake accurate recording / inputting and amending of data within Trust information systems.
Act as first point of contact for both internal and external stakeholders regarding deceased patients.
Exercise judgement and initiative in line with departmental guidelines to make informed decisions relating to the appropriate processes, procedures required for the care of deceased patients, escalating any concerns or issues to the appropriate senior colleague as required.
Communicate with distressed or potentially aggressive relatives and family members in a professional, courteous, and sensitive manner, using tact, empathy and diplomacy, seeking to overcome any barriers to understanding where relevant to achieve a satisfactory outcome.
Work collaboratively with colleagues from other departments and services, both internally and externally to the Trust
Liaise with relevant internal and external stakeholders to ensure all relevant documentation relating to the deceased patient and the cause of death is accurately recorded and completed in line with the departmental, trust and national guidelines.
Working for our organisation
You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its staff. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.
When completing your application please ensure that you clearly demonstrate how you meet the role criteria.
Person specification
Education and Qualifications
* GCSE at Grade C/4 in English and Maths (or equivalent qualifications) or equivalent experience
* NVQ Level II in Business Administration / Customer Service / IT
Experience
* Experience of working within an office environment
* Experience of working in a public facing role.
* Relevant experience within the NHS
Further Training
* Knowledge of / experience of using information and/or customer service systems.
* Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages including Outlook, Excel and Word.
* Previous experience of PAS / Lorenzo / Connect
* Previous experience Infoflex / 59R Software
Skills and Knowledge
* Understanding of data protection issues and the ability to maintain confidentiality
* Excellent communication skills, with ability to deal with staff at all levels.
* Displays use of initiative with effective organisational skill
* Ability to prioritise and work to strict/conflicting deadlines
* On-going commitment to personal development
Please note that in order to comply with the UK Government’s rules on Skilled Worker sponsorship, any applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements or concessions on salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa will not be eligible to receive sponsorship from the Trust. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application. Further details on these concessions, and who qualifies for them, can be found here .
Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. W hen you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete. The personal statement is exactly that; personal.
When selecting to apply via NHS Jobs, you will be redirected to our preferred recruitment system called Trac. You will be asked to create and submit your application via the Trac recruitment system.
You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. All communications should be sent via your Trac system account.
If you are offered employment at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals your information will be transferred from the Trac recruitment system into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. In addition, in submitting an application form, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.
Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email sent via the Trac recruitment system, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Should you require any assistance in applying for the position please contact the General or Medical Human Resources Departments on the number identified on the NHS Jobs page for the organisation.
Job Share applicants are welcome for all full time posts unless indicated but cannot be guaranteed. In addition for Fixed Term Contracts, internal secondments may be considered, please seek the approval of your current line manager before applying for the position.
All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.
For more information about our organisation and the opportunities available, please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook
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