The Medical Examiner Officer (MEO) plays a key role in supporting Medical Examiners to provide independent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths within the Trust and community.
The postholder ensures deaths are reviewed in a timely, transparent, and consistent manner, enabling accurate completion of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCD), timely reviews of Coroner referrals, improving mortality data quality, and strengthening learning from deaths.
The MEO acts as a liaison between clinical teams, bereaved families, the Coroner’s Office, and Registration Services, and funeral directors, ensuring the service operates with compassion, professionalism, and regulatory compliance. The role supports early identification of patient safety concerns, contributes to governance and audit processes, and promotes improvements in end-of-life care.
The postholder ensures the service operates in a culturally sensitive and inclusive manner, recognising and supporting faith-based and time-sensitive burial requirements .
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
Supports independent scrutiny of all non‑coronial deaths across the Trust by managing a high‑volume caseload and ensuring timely, consistent review.
Produces clear case summaries for Medical Examiner review, highlighting key clinical details, decision points and potential concerns to support accurate certification.
Acts as a main contact for bereaved families, providing sensitive explanations of the Medical Examiner process, answering questions, and enabling concerns to be raised while ensuring understanding of the cause of death and next steps.
Works closely with clinical teams, patient safety, bereavement services, the Coroner’s Office, Registration Services and funeral directors to coordinate processes and maintain a seamless service.
Ensures all Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCD) meet statutory requirements and national guidance, identifying and escalating cases needing Coroner referral.
Supports governance by identifying patient safety concerns, contributing to audits, and participating in quality improvement and learning from deaths.
Maintains accurate, secure digital records, including case tracking and performance data, supporting transparency and accountability.
Promotes efficient case progression to minimise delays, including prioritising time‑sensitive or faith‑based cases.
Represents the service professionally in meetings and provides updates on activity.
We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
1. Clinical Information Review and Case Preparation
Access, interpret, and summarise clinical records including the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and paper notes.
Identify key clinical events, decision points, and potential concerns.
Cross-check proposed causes of death for clinical and legal accuracy, escalating discrepancies.
Prioritise and manage caseloads in line with service targets and operational demand.
2. Support to Medical Examiners in Death Certification
Review MCCDs for accuracy and compliance with statutory requirements
Identify cases requiring Coroner referral and ensure timely escalation.
Liaise with certifying doctors to resolve queries or obtain missing information.
Complete pre-scrutiny checks, including family concerns, incident reporting systems (e.g. Datix), risk and incidents and complaints and PALS.
For further information please see attached job description
