Medical Examiner in Northampton

Overview

The Medical Examiner (ME) system was introduced in 2019 by the Department of Health and Social Care in response to the Shipman Enquiry recommendations to reform the death certification process. The ME promotes robust and transparent scrutiny of death certification through independent review of clinical case notes and confirmation of cause of death in all patients, including the review of all deaths in the local health community of West Northamptonshire (covering primary care and community and mental health Trusts).

The post holder must be registered with a licence to practice as a doctor in the UK by the GMC. It is recommended that Medical Examiners are consultant grade doctors from a range of disciplines or GP principals, and they must have been on the Medical register for a minimum of 5 years. Prior to employment, the ME must have completed the mandatory components of the national online Medical Examiner curriculum, with Face to Face training completed within 3 months of starting in post.

Responsibilities

• Scrutinise the clinical notes and certified causes of death offered by attending doctors in a proportionate, consistent and compliant manner with the proposed national protocol.
• Discuss and explain the cause of death with the next of kin/informants in a transparent, tactful and sympathetic manner (predominantly conducted through telephone conversations).
• Maintain comprehensive records of all deaths scrutinised and undertake analysis to provide information to the National Medical Examiners office.
• Participate in relevant activities relating to death certification including audits.
• Support the training of junior doctors in understanding death certification and promote best practice in accurate completion of MCCDs.
• Collaborate with other medical examiners in the local authority, share experiences and expertise to support peer learning and set uniform standards of service delivery.
• Work with medical examiner officers (MEOs), delegating duties as appropriate, and engage with the lead ME and lead MEO for the region.
• Be part of an out-of-hours (OOH) rota with other MEs to ensure urgent release of a body can be achieved if requested.

Qualifications and Experience

• Up-to-date knowledge of medical conditions and treatments and the ability to exercise judgement about when to seek specialist advice.
• Aware of how personal communication style impacts others and able to adapt approach to suit different situations and audiences.
• Excellent self-awareness and empathetic skills to liaise effectively with bereaved families.
• Ability to balance compassion with professionalism and discretion, and openness to constructive criticism and ideas.
• Integrity to maintain trust and comply with the independent nature of the ME role in the context of other clinical duties.

ME as Expert Advisor and Stakeholders

The ME will be a source of expert knowledge and advice for health professionals and wider stakeholder groups, including medical directors, clinicians, MEOs, bereavement staff, mortuary staff, coroners and their officers, registrars, spiritual leaders, and other healthcare providers including GPs.

Ethics, Governance and Professional Standards

• MEs must act in accordance with Equalities and Human Rights legislation and the Trust's equality and diversity policies.
• They must avoid conflicts of interest and transfer scrutiny to another ME if a personal or professional relationship with the deceased, next of kin/informant, or attending doctor is present.
• Professional independence in scrutinising deaths with an accountable relationship to a regional NHS improvement/NHS England structure, and compliance with the National Medical Examiner guidance.

Safety, Quality and Development

• Escalate governance concerns raised by next of kin/informant or clinical staff related to death scrutiny.
• Facilitate routine analysis of MCCD information to identify trends and report to the regional Lead ME and the National Medical Examiners office.
• Provide information to local Child Death Overview panels for all child deaths not investigated by the coroner.
• Maintain continuing professional development (CPD) in line with GMC standards and authorities; include ME duties in whole-practice appraisals and keep a Personal Development Plan; attend local and national activities to stay up to date.

Indemnity: Doctors working as an ME on behalf of the Trust will be indemnified under the Trust’s usual arrangements.