Overview
Bereavement Support Officer – County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Closing date: 24 February 2026
The Medical Directorate are seeking to appoint a Bereavement Services Officer to work in the Bereavement Office, alongside the Medical Examiner Service. The successful applicant, whilst based at the University Hospital of North Durham, will provide cover across all sites within County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust as and when the need arises. The individual should be calm under pressure, methodical and IT literate, with good interpersonal telephone skills to provide support to the bereaved. The office is busy, sometimes mentally taxing and emotionally demanding. The successful applicant will work closely with the Medical Examiners Office, coroner’s office, registrars office and clinical teams to ensure that the statutory and mandatory processes are followed, so that the bereaved receive an excellent, timely, compassionate service.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide an administration service in relation to deceased patients and their families within County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT), and the wider healthcare population as the Medical Examiner Service evolves. Duties include providing a caring, efficient and supportive service for bereaved families, organising medical certification of death, cremation forms and contract funerals.
The post holder will also provide a signposting service for bereaved families, including links with local counselling services.
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated as essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community-based settings and care in patients\' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over-reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant’s chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
From April 9th 2025 – Healthcare assistants – you must have been employed for a minimum of two years as an NHS HCA for the Trust to consider sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and have a current visa expiring within 3 months).
Job responsibilities
To manage and provide expertise, knowledge and co-ordinate a sensitive and sympathetic service for bereaved families/next of kin and to ensure the correct practices are followed, working closely with the Medical Examiner Service.
To maintain and protect patient and family confidentiality as per Trust policy.
Dealing with bereaved families including support and signposting to counselling services as required. Receive/deal with complex, highly emotional situations, including distressing and demanding scenarios where family members may be deeply distressed, hysterical, confrontational or even aggressive. Patients/public/bereaved are to be dealt with in a calm and supportive manner.
Act as a focal point for collection of medical certificates of cause of death (MCCD) by relatives.
Key link person between wards, families of the deceased and mortuary; liaison role.
Responsible for the day-to-day running of the Bereavement Service and be able to confidently resolve issues to prevent delays for families. Listen to concerns raised by families and arrange meetings with medical staff where appropriate, in parallel with the Medical Examiner Service.
Ensure all possessions of the deceased are ready for collection at the time of relatives\' appointment, liaising with wards and families. Arrange disposal of any unwanted property with the ward if requested by the family. Inform relatives of the process for collection of property.
Co-ordinate an appointment system for bereaved relatives to return to the hospital to collect all appropriate paperwork and belongings relating to the deceased.
Administration: ensure accurate and full completion of all paperwork relating to the deceased; complete all electronic documentation; arrange and attend meetings with patients’ relatives, friends or neighbours to discuss patients documents.
Mortuary department: assist in maintaining adequate capacity in the mortuary by ensuring all paperwork is completed promptly to allow timely release of the deceased. Manage process flow to support deceased documentation and release; update mortuary when deceased is referred to coroner and when families inform us about their choice of funeral director and whether burial or cremation for mortuary register. Liaise with mortuary and pathology staff, making arrangements when a request is made to view the deceased patient. As needed, accompany a bereaved family when visiting their loved one in the mortuary.
Trust relationships: support for new staff, training and education for electronic and paper documentation, liaising with clinical staff regarding cremation forms and related paperwork where a post mortem is required. Liaise with Doctors and Medical Examiner on cremation forms. Liaise with the Finance Department to ensure funds/property of the deceased are dealt with efficiently and sensitively. Attend A&E/ward visits to provide immediate support/advice to families and support wards with bereavement needs. Act as liaison for relatives who wish to speak to the trust chaplaincy team. Be a point of contact for wards/departments on procedures for patients dying in hospital without relatives; banding patients\' money/valuables with hospital cashiers where applicable. Liaise with the Pals Team for enquiries and support information for RCAs and process reviews. Work closely with the Medical Examiner Service, providing administrative support as required.
Coroner relationship: act as the link between the Coroner service and Trust medical staff, making referrals. Ensure all referrals to coroner are completed on the New Coroner Portal, and train staff on the portal where needed. Develop and maintain good working relationships with the Coroner and his officers to ensure appropriate information flow. Liaise with the Registrar to book appointments for relatives to register death and maintain updated information and changes in regulations. Following the introduction of the Covid law, scan all MCCDs and email to registrar, then deliver original documents to registry office.
Funeral Director relationship: liaise with local funeral directors to inform families of funeral procedures.
Other external agencies: liaise with university/ward/mortuary when relatives/others request that a body be donated to medical science. Inform necessary individuals of the patient\'s death where appropriate. Have an understanding of local availability of counselling services and act as liaison when such services are requested. Attend and contribute to multi-agency meetings to continuously improve the end-of-life journey.
Contract and hospital funerals: ascertain when a contract funeral is required and arrange necessary steps in line with trust policy. Organise tracing of relatives/significant others (via case notes, GP, local press, ancestry tracing/estate research) when dealing with a deceased with no known next of kin. Responsible for all legal paperwork/administration to arrange and execute a contract funeral. Meet with families to obtain correct documents and complete checks. Approve Funeral Directors invoices before payment. Generate and maintain systems for storing easily accessible information regarding individual contract funerals for retrieval as required.
Accreditation: understand and be aware of the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) codes of practice for consent, post mortem and disposal of tissue. Assist clinical staff to obtain consent for hospital postmortem using appropriate documentation to meet HTA requirements. Inform families/relatives of potential need to take tissue samples/organs as part of post-mortem and their rights under the HTA licence, on how tissue/organ can be processed following post-mortem findings. As part of the End of Life Team, work with CQC during assessment periods.
Training and education: ensure all information relating to the bereavement service is up to date on the Trust intranet; update Bereavement booklet as required and organise print runs. Distribute booklet to wards and promote the Bereavement service within the organisation and to external bodies. Attend Trust-wide and external events to present the service. Support management with recruitment and selection for new staff within the Bereavement and mortuary team and proactively develop the service. Attend training on HTA consent; deliver training to new Bereavement staff and to mortuary staff. Participate in education and support programmes related to bereavement care. Implement changes required due to changes in practice and law; update mortuary staff, doctors and ward staff accordingly. Attend all mandatory training as required by Trust policy.
Person Specification
Experience
* Experience of practical issues relating to bereavement support
* Knowledge of NHS and Trust policies in relation to bereavement services
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
* Experience of dealing with members of the public
* Ability to plan, organise and manage own workload
* Understanding of computer systems and databases
Special Requirements
* Able to deal with stressful and difficult circumstances
* Ability to work under pressure whilst delivering high quality work
* Calm personality
* Excellent communicator able to communicate with public and staff at all levels
Qualifications
* 3 A levels
* NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent) in related subject
* Diploma in Counselling or equivalent
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
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
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