Senior Bereavement Officer in Reading

Join to apply for the Senior Bereavement Officer role at UDML College of Engineering, JECRC Foundation, Jaipur. Opportunity to join our compassionate Bereavement Team. We are offering an exciting opportunity to become part of our dedicated Bereavement Team at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. We are seeking an empathetic and professional individual with excellent communication skills to provide a compassionate and coordinated bereavement service to the families and loved ones of patients who have died at the hospital.

As a Senior Bereavement Officer, you will be responsible for delivering sensitive support to relatives, carers, friends, and legal representatives, guiding them through the necessary administrative processes. This role involves a range of secretarial and administrative duties, including diary and data management, minute-taking, and maintaining contact with a diverse group of individuals, including those who are recently bereaved. In addition, the successful candidate will work collaboratively with the Medical Examiners Service, ensuring that all relevant paperwork is reviewed and completed accurately and in a timely manner.

Main duties of the job:

• Use your initiative and attention to detail in all tasks, ensuring a high standard of work at all times.
• Demonstrate strong computer skills, with intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Bring previous administrative experience, particularly in secretarial, organisational, and data entry tasks.
• Effectively manage tight deadlines while adapting to changing and challenging situations, all while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Handle multiple tasks simultaneously, ensuring each is completed efficiently and with a high degree of accuracy.
• Maintain a calm, professional approach under pressure, with the ability to solve problems creatively and innovatively.
• Demonstrate empathy and compassion when interacting with bereaved individuals, while maintaining a professional balance and strong core values.
• Maintain your own health and well-being by managing emotional resilience and seeking support if needed.

About Us:

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest District General Hospitals in the country. The hospital achieved Foundation Trust status on 1st June 2006. It was the first Foundation Trust in the South Central Strategic Health Authority. The Trust has a successful track record of delivering high quality acute medical and surgical services for 500,000 patients across West Berkshire, an area extending from Newbury in the west to Henley-on-Thames in the east, and including Wokingham and parts of Hampshire to the south and parts of Oxfordshire to the north. The Trust is Reading's biggest employer. Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK. The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our 'CARE' values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Details:

• Date posted: 18 December 2025
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 4
• Salary: £27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 193-7670377NCG
• Job locations: Royal Berkshire Hospital, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AN

Job responsibilities:

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details of the role.

Person Specification:

Education:

• Essential: Very good level of computer literacy, GCSE level of education or equivalent, Training in bereavement support
• Desirable: Minutes taking course/training evidence or experience, European Computer Driving Licence - ECDL

Experience:

• Essential: Demonstrable experience in an admin role with excellent knowledge of office procedures, Experience of working with bereaved families or working with people in sensitive and emotional situations, Demonstrable experience of training/mentoring staff
• Desirable: Experience in conducting audits, Demonstrable experience of working in a healthcare setting

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Understanding of data protection and confidentiality
• Very good interpersonal and communication skills both written and oral
• Ability to work both as part of a team and individually
• Desirable: Knowledge of the Coroner & Justice Act 2009, including The Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019

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 details:

Employer name: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Royal Berkshire Hospital, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AN

Employer's website: https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/