Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Senior Medical Examiner Officer
Closing date: 08 April 2026
TSDFT is looking to recruit an enthusiastic and highly motivated Medical Examiner Officer.
The role of the Medical Examiner Officer is to support medical examiners and the Senior Medical Examiner Officer in scrutinising the circumstances and causes of death, and to be a point of contact for coroner and registration services. They will also be a source of advice for relatives of deceased patients, healthcare professionals and the bereavement service.
The Medical Examiner Officer role is anticipated to be hugely rewarding and will improve personal skills for the successful applicant. It is also a highly responsible and involved role and will require a dedicated and driven applicant.
Main duties of the job
The Medical Examiners Office is an independent service hosted by Torbay Hospital. The team consists of Medical Examiner Officers who support the Medical Examiner with the focus of
* providing greater safeguards for the public by ensuring proper scrutiny of all non‑coronial deaths
* ensuring the appropriate referral of deaths to the coroner
* providing a better service for the bereaved and an opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a Doctor not involved in the care of the deceased
* improving the quality of death certification
* improving the quality of mortality data
About us
This role is critical developing a responsive and fluid service which is adaptable to the needs of the Trust, our patients and our workforce. Successful candidates will have a proactive role in how the service grows and adapts to the needs of our patients and relatives.
Medical Examiner Officers will undergo formal training appropriate to the role, as stipulated by the Royal College of Pathologists, and will continue to train on the job as part of a lifelong learning role.
Job responsibilities
The role will involve not only working closely with the Medical Examiners in their independent scrutiny of deaths, but also with the physicians caring for patients in order to determine that deaths are appropriately recorded and in a timely fashion, and communicating the recorded causes of death with relatives of the bereaved. This role will incorporate administrative skills in ensuring necessary paperwork is accurate and complete, but also excellent communication skills during liaison with the multidisciplinary team, families, and where appropriate, the Coroners' services. Part of the day to day work will also involve investigation work and perusal of patient notes.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Relevant clinical or related qualification (For example but not exclusively Nursing and Midwifery, Health and Care Professions, Social Work, Pharmacist, Funeral Director)
* Educated to degree level / equivalent experience
* Completed e-learning for health medical examiner modules
Knowledge
* Knowledge of clinical / medical terminology that enables informed discussions about causes and circumstances of death with families and healthcare professionals
* Knowledge of statutory process around death certification and how the medical examiner system aligns with this
* Knowledge of special requirements of Faith groups
* Knowledge of confidentiality and data protection process and procedures
* Knowledge of relevant legislation
* Awareness of equality and diversity issues surrounding death certification and arrangements
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum pro rata
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