Job overview
Medical examiners (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 a medical examiner. It is recommended that medical examiners are consultant grade doctors from a range of disciplines (including GP principals). MEs will take a consistent approach to the formulation of MCCD content, which must be clinically accurate and reflect any discussions with the next of kin/informant. MEs must not have
been involved in the care of the deceased patients for deaths they scrutinise.
Main duties of the job
Candidates must have successfully completed the mandatory e-learning modules online (free of charge) by the time they start the role and attend
a face-to-face training session at the Royal College of Pathologists, London, paid for by the Trust, within the first three months in post.
The Medical Examiner(s) will be expected to screen and review deaths (from the preceding weekend or working day) to an agreed policy and time
frame, liaise with the Coroner to develop a robust process for referrals, which minimises delays to bereaved families, and enables further
investigations as appropriate. The job description and person specification attached are modelled from the Royal College of Pathologists in line
with a national requirement to develop a method for reducing inaccuracies in death certificates and achieving greater confidence in learning from
deaths
Working for our organisation
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).
After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.
We are looking to fill 1.0 PA sessions (0.1WTE), ideally on a Monday at Epsom Hospital for the ESTH Medical Examiner service, during working hours. We would welcome applications from all speciality areas.
We invite applications from Trust Consultants and experienced Specialty Doctors or General Practitioners who are naturally curious, data friendly and ready to lead the way in developing our understanding of the impact of the care we provide. The service will be at both acute sites and share an office with the Trust’s Mortality Reviewers and the Bereavement Service.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• To 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.
• To scrutinise the certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a way that is proportionate, consistent and compliant with the
proposed national protocol.
• To 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 predominantly conducted through telephone conversations where barriers to understanding information
may exist.
• To 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.
• To maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical
Examiner’s office.
• To participate in relevant clinical governance activities relating to death certification including audits, mortality review processes and
investigations regarding formal complaints about patient care.
• To support the training of junior doctors in their understanding of death certification and promote good practice in accurate completion
of MCCDs.
• To work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate.
• To engage with lead ME and lead MEO for the region.
• To adopt a collaborative working relationship with other MEs by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set
uniform standards of service delivery
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Medical practitioner registered and licensed to practise in the UK by the GMC. It is recommended that GPs should have the equivalent level of experience to consultants undertaking this role e.g. several years experience as a GP, or General Practitioner Principal level • • A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
Desirable criteria
2. Completion of the ME Core e-learning modules
Experience
Essential criteria
3. • • Experience of supporting and implementing change in an organisation • • Experience of working with patients, families and staff, forming good relationships
Desirable criteria
4. Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
5. • • Knowledge of local and national clinical governance systems and an understanding of how the ME can work collaboratively to improve patient safety by identifying suboptimal clinical and organisational performance • • Up-to-date knowledge of medical conditions and treatments and be able to exercise judgement about when to seek specialist advice. • • Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity
Desirable criteria
6. Up-to-date knowledge of causes of death and an understanding of the legal frameworks associated with death certification processes.
Skills
Essential criteria
7. IT skills including use of email and commonly used software. • • Ability to work as part of a team and organise a fluctuating workload around competing priorities and numerous interruptions. • •
Desirable criteria
8. Ability to identify available data sources to support the detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge.
Our mission: ‘to put the patient first by delivering great care to every patient, every day.’
There’s never been a better time to join the Epsom and St Helier team. Our hospitals are facing a bright and busy future, and our staff have a proven track record in providing high quality, compassionate care for our patients.
Boasting incredible staff benefits and dedicated training schemes, working for us will not only take your career forward, but could help to transform the lives of our patients and visitors.
We offer all employees some fantastic staff benefits, and are the only hospitals in Surrey to offer staff the London high cost area supplement. Our hospitals also benefit from great locations, so whether you're attracted to the bright lights of the city or the countryside of Epsom Downs, both are within easy reach.
FURTHER INFORMATION
**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSITION MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN THE STATED CLOSING DATE IF A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED. IF YOU WISH TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION, YOU ARE ADVISED TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE**
**PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CONTACT ALL APPLICANTS VIA EMAIL AND NOT BY POST. YOU ARE ADVISED TO CHECK YOUR RECRUITMENT SYSTEM ACCOUNT ON A REGULAR BASIS. YOU CAN ACCESS THIS ACCOUNT VIA OUR WEB SITE> Work for Us > Current Vacancies > My Job Account**
For new entrants into the NHS, your pay under the Agenda for Change or Medical & Dental Pay Bands, will normally be set at the minimum of the pay band as advertised.
If you apply for this position and do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been short-listed for interview on this occasion.
ESTH values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.
As a Disability Confident Employer we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.
Internal applicants from underrepresented minority groups are encouraged to seek development support such as work shadowing and interview skills coaching.