Job summary
Employer heading
Medical Examiner
Consultant
We recognise that outstanding care can only be delivered through our people. We want to attract people who can help us deliver our vision. We want in return to help people achieve what they wish in their careers in the NHS at ULTH.
We are always keen to welcome highly skilled, committed and compassionate individuals to our hospitals – people who put patients at the heart of everything they do and are ready to help us achieve our vision.
Our values guide everything we do. They are:
- Patient-centred – Putting patients at the heart of everything we do, listening and responding to their needs and wishes.
- Safety – Following ULTH and professional guidelines. Speaking up to make sure patients and staff are safe from harm.
- Excellence – Striving to be the best that we can be. Innovating and learning from others.
- Compassion – Caring for patients and their loved ones in ways we would want for our friends and family.
- Respect – Behaving and using language that demonstrates respect and courtesy to others. Zero tolerance to bullying, inequality, prejudice and discrimination.
If you believe in them too, then you are ready to join the ULTH team.
We’ve taken great pride in building working environments where staff always feel valued, cared for and part of a team. Without doubt this is a challenging yet very rewarding job that is at the centre of health and care in Lincolnshire - making a positive difference to our patients.
Our Trust is situated in the beautiful county of Lincolnshire and is one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a population of more than 700,000 people. We provide acute and specialist services to people in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. We have an annual income of £710 million (22/23) and we employ nearly 8,600 people.
Our Board have recently agreed a new vision statement – “Outstanding Care Personally Delivered” – stating their ambition for our Trust to be among the best.
We also have a five year Integrated Improvement Plan setting out how we will achieve our strategic objectives, for patients, services, people and partners, the last recognising that our future success depends on our ability to ensure the Lincolnshire healthcare system is successful in achieving its ambition to help people live healthier lives and provide care closer to where people live.
Our latest CQC report increased our ratings for being effective and well-led from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’. Our rating for caring remained as ‘Good’.
This is in recognition of the huge amount of work that our amazing staff have done to improve the quality of care for our patients in recent years.
We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated.
So, what is in it for you?
- Flexible working: Depending on the needs of your role, we will consider requests for flexible and/or part-time working for whatever reason you should need it. We recognise flexible working will not look the same for everyone, because it depends on the nature of the role and the needs of the individual.
Types of flexibility could include:
- Part-time - less than 37.5 hours per week.
- Off-site/remote working - working from home or other sites for part or all the week.
- Compressed hours – usually full-time hours but over fewer days or shifts.
- Staggered hours – having different start and finish times.
- Set shift patterns – to allow for predictability
- NHS Pension: A generous and flexible pension scheme with contributions from us as your employer fully protected against inflation and guaranteed by the government
- Annual Leave: Starting at 27 days a year, rising to 33 days after 10 years plus eight bank holidays (for staff covered by Agenda for Change) For Medical Workforce positions (Consultant and Specialty Doctor), the full-time entitlement commences from 32 days per annum. For all other Medical Workforce positions, the full-time entitlement commences from 27 days per annum.
- Bank working: The chance to work extra hours at enhanced rates and we will pay you weekly too, ideal if your income needs a quick boost.
In addition, there is more.
- Family & Childcare: Including on-site nurseries at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital Boston, maternity, paternity, adoption & shared parental leave following a set period of employment.
- Health & Wellbeing: including counselling, mental health first aid, physiotherapy, eye tests.
- Learning & Development including Lincolnshire Talent Academy, leadership training, medical education, clinical education, Lincolnshire clinical research
- Financial support and benefits including Cycle2Work, car lease scheme, home electronics. Free on-site parking and free tea and coffee and the ability to save and borrow through your salary.
- Rewards & Recognition including staff awards, long service awards, retirement awards, examples of excellence and staff lottery.
Enjoy a better quality of life in one of the UK’s most welcoming counties. Whether you’re taking the first exciting steps in your career, itching for a new challenge or searching for a better place to raise a family, Lincolnshire welcomes everyone. Discover a range of rewarding health and social care careers in a county that’s friendly, fascinating, affordable and brimming with everything you need to live a happy life. Visit beinlincolnshire.com to find out more.
Job overview
Following the successful implementation of the statutory Medical Examiner System in September the Trust now seeks to ensure the ME service remains fully established into this very interesting and important role.
The Trusts Medical Examiner team was established in 2019. During the following 18 months the team grew in numbers and by August 2021 had reached their target of scrutiny of 100% of all adult in hospital deaths. Since the 9th September 2024 the ME service has been reviewing 100% of all community deaths in addition to the acute hospital deaths. We are looking to appoint 1 to 2 Medical Examiners to join the team on a minimum of 1PA (4 hours) sessional basis. The role will be based at Pilgrim and Lincoln. The ME service is responsible for reviewing all natural deaths that occur in Lincolnshire (excluding NLAG).
Main duties of the job
Medical examiners perform a scrutiny of the notes of all deceased patients, they discuss the proposed cause of death with the attending team and they explain the cause of death to the bereaved families and ascertain if there are any family concerns. Medical Examiners can also help to identify whether a case requires referral to the Coroners Office.
An electronic form is completed for each case handled by the ME. MEs will be expected to share full information to inform mortality reviews and clinical governance systems to support the learning from deaths process.
One of the strengths of the ME system is the increased engagement with bereaved families identifying potential areas of concern in terms of care delivered at the outset.
Working for our organisation
What’s the hospital like?
Pilgrim Hospital is situated beautiful countryside and serves the communities in the South Lincolnshire area. It provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.
Grantham and District Hospital serves the communities of Grantham and the local area. It provides ambulatory paediatric and accident and emergency services.
Lincoln Hospital is a thriving university city and with the opening of the new medical school, It provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service
If you want to make a difference and be part of something new and exciting then we would love to hear from you so, what are you waiting for?!
“Excellence in rural healthcare”, delivered by people who put patients at the heart of everything they do
One Trust, Endless opportunities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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;
Support those doctors who call for medical advice on suspected natural causes of death before they prepare an Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), and provide general medical advice to the coroner;
Scrutinise the certified causes of all in-scope deaths in a way that is compliant with the national protocol;
Maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis and provide information as required locally for clinical governance purposes and referring, where appropriate, to MorALS, Lincolnshire Mortality Collaborative and Risk Management (for investigation as Serious Incident).
Work with other medical examiner(s) to arrange reciprocal cover for holidays and other periods of absence and also to ensure that there is no potential conflict of interest between the medical examiner and the death being scrutinised;
Complete ME MCCDs when authorised by the Coroner to do so.
Contact bereaved people by telephone as soon as possible after the medical certificate is completed to explain cause of death in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner, which respects different faith, cultural, ethnic and diversity considerations
Develop and improve training materials and sessions for Medical Examiners in ULHT
Lead training and development of Medical examiners in ULHT
Liaise with Medical director/Associate Medical Director as required to ensure ongoing development and improvement of completion of Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
[NOTE: the above list of duties is not exhaustive}
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered licence to practice in the UK by the GMC
- Evidence of recent on-going personal portfolio
- Minimum of five years’ experience at consultant level.
- Experience of undertaking clinical case note reviews as part of Mortality and Morbidity or Serious Incident process
Skills
Essential criteria
- Up to date knowledge of clinical causes of death, together with death certification requirements and processes
- Ability to distinguish between natural and unnatural causes of death and when death must be reported to, and investigated by, a coroner
- Ability to analyse complex clinical issues/problems, identify solutions and necessary actions
- Ability to communicate effectively and with sensitivity with the relatives or representatives of the deceased when explaining the cause of death and to communicate with the bereaved of all faiths and communities in a sensitive and understanding manner.
Desirable criteria
- Detailed knowledge of the relevant legislation and processes which apply to: coroners; registering deaths; cremations and burials
Experience
Essential criteria
- Able to work to tight deadlines when managing workload of self or motivating others
- Highly developed computer skills over a range of Microsoft packages and organisational software
- Ability to travel between work sites when required
Desirable criteria
- experience using systmone
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Adam Wolverson
- Job title
- Consultant Critical Care & Lead Medical Examiner
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07900958463
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