The Academic Cancer Autopsy Team delivers a specialised rapid research autopsy service to support translational cancer research. The post holder will contribute to the delivery of this service by applying and developing expertise in specialised anatomical pathology techniques within both the mortuary and associated research laboratory settings, supporting the Mortuary manager and Academic Oncology Consultant in the delivery of the service.
This exciting opportunity requires working as part of the team, within which the post holder will play a key role in supporting and undertaking research autopsies at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, ensuring high standards of technical practice and sample handling to facilitate high-quality research outcomes.
In addition to technical responsibilities, the role will support the ongoing development of the research autopsy service, including the monitoring and tracking of patients recruited to studies and the management and documentation of samples collected through the programme.
The post holder will act professionally, respectfully, and sensitively, maintaining the reputation of the Mortuary Department and The Christie NHS. They will uphold confidentiality in line with Trust policies, GDPR, Information Governance, and HTA requirements. Working independently and within a multidisciplinary team, they will follow SOP, Health and Safety legislation, and Trust guidelines, reporting incidents, hazards, and equipment defects as required. The role includes maintaining accurate mortuary records, completing and securely storing documentation, coordinating appointments for funeral directors, and supporting bereaved families. The post holder will liaise with the Medical Examiner's Office, police, funeral directors, pathology, and other services to ensure the lawful and timely release of deceased patients and specimens. Responsibilities include receiving, identifying, and booking in deceased patients, preparing them for viewing, release, or post-mortem examination, recording personal belongings, and maintaining dignity. They will assist with autopsies, specimen collection and processing, and reconstruction procedures. The role requires exposure to distressing situations, manual handling, and safe working with hazardous substances. Additional duties include cleaning, infection prevention, stock control, audits, training support, routine checks, and contributing to service improvement to deliver a safe, effective, and compassionate mortuary service.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
Professional
- Act in a respectful and sensitive way that maintains the integrity of the Department
- Maintain and promote the professional image of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Maintain patient confidentiality at all times in line with the trust Information Management and Technology (IM&T) Information Security Policies.
- Work unsupervised in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures and Health and Safety Policies.
- May be required to comment on policies and procedures as part of service development.
- Develop and implement procedures relating to the mortuary and academic pathology service.
- Follow good mortuary practice in line with professionals and Human Tissue Authority guidelines and assist with interpreting and implementing national and local policies relevant to the department.
- Work within the Terms and Conditions of Employment of your Contract.
- Report incidents, accidents and defects according to trust guidelines (including the contributing to the investigation of such incidents)
Organisational and Administrative
- To keep accurate and complete records around procedures.
- To take responsibility for the release for the deceased from the mortuary facility following protocol.
- Plan appointments for funeral directors and others to visit the mortuary.
- To arrange and prepare viewings in the viewing room, occasionally accompanying families.
- To deal with bereaved relatives in a sensitive and compassionate manner, giving clear and appropriate information.
- To ensure all documentation is completed in line with HTA guidelines before any specimens leaving the department.
- To liaise with the Coroners’ office, the police and other trust staff in a confidential and professional manner.
- To maintain good working relationships with other trust departments and external organisations such as funeral directors, the medical examiner’s office and registry officers..
- Ensure that mortuary records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good work practices required for HTA and UKAS. Extract, manipulate and statistically analyse data if required.
- Contribute to the provision of materials, advice and support for the Clinical Users of the service.
- To assist the ME office with the completion of the medical certificate cause of death, cremation paperwork, free from infection forms and requests for hospital funded funerals. To meet with next of kin to pass on ME paperwork and work with the medical examiner’s office to explain the registration process, where required with support of the oncology consultant team lead.
- To book appointments online with the registrar on-line booking system.
Scientific and Technical
- Receive /book in deceased patients into the mortuary ensuring they are accurately identified, cleaned, dressed and laid out as required (including register establish the correct body size).
- Record and secures deceased’s belongings/valuables.
- Arrange for the deactivation of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators prior to cremation.
- To support Tissue services visiting the mortuary. Ensure that correct consent is received.
- To wash, dress (if required) and removed all lines from cleared (paperwork completed) deceased for release or viewing.
- To ensure all releases from the mortuary follow the departmental policy.
- To assist at autopsy including, external examination, recording organ weights, digital images and other details also taking specimens as required by the pathologist or Coroner. Ensuring all paperwork is complete as required by the research study.
- To ensure that all research autopsies are reconstructed to a high standard.
- To undertake any specialist techniques as required.
- To ensure all deceased within the mortuary are kept within a clean and dignified manner, including daily body checks in line wit the HTA storage policy.
- To ensure all daily cleaning duties are completed and documented.
- Maintain and promote the professional image of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
Nature and Conditions of Work
- Daily exposure to highly distressing and emotive situations.
- Physical fitness is required for manoeuvring the deceased on a daily basis including occasional movement of oversized bodies.
- There is a requirement for sitting/standing at equipment and dissection tables for prolonged periods of time.
- Daily exposure to body fluids, blood, fresh tissue, infective agents and hazardous chemicals.
Mental
- The need to be able to multitask while performing an activity. It is important to be able to keep track of several tasks at once due to the interruptions of others and the necessity to facilitate other mortuary users.
- The post holder is expected to be ready to attend the mortuary in the case of major incident and therefore even when not on-call.
Emotional
- Constant exposure to distressing and emotional situations.
- Dealing with the bereaved and their emotions.
- Dealing with multi faith requirements.
Health and Safety
- Work in line with Trust Health and Safety Policies and Procedures.
- Responsible for highlighting Health & Safety issues to the departmental Health & Safety Officer within their section.
- Attend all mandatory Health and Safety training sessions.
- Keep the workplace and workbenches clean and tidy and appropriately disinfected.
- To ensure the mortuary areas are cleaned and disinfected to a high standard as covered by the standard operating procedure.
- Safely dispose of any contaminated materials including sharps.
- To ensure all visitors to bereavement/mortuary follow necessary guidelines and to act accordingly.
Quality Management
- Understand and adopt the principles of the Laboratory Quality Management System.
- Assist with production and review of Departmental Standard Operating Procedures.
- Assist with the development and implementation of appropriate policies and procedures within the mortuary.
- Participate in service audits as directed by the Departmental Quality Manager or Deputy
Financial and Staff.
- Assist with stock control and management within the study.
- To prepare requisitions for the manager with monitoring and ordering of new equipment and general stock.
- To assist the senior APT/manager in researching and implementing new consumables/equipment.
- Observe a personal duty of care in relation to the equipment and resources used in course of work.
- Work to support the continued cost efficiency model of the research autopsy team.
- Identify your development needs within the Annual Appraisal to ensure that any CPD requirements are achieved and demonstrated in practice.
- To attend annual christie updates and mandatory training.
- To attend courses booked as part of personal development.
- Contribute to requirements of non-laboratory staff attending the department.
- Training – contribute/lead on training for trust staff in the research autopsy team.
