Job summary
- Main area
- Medical Examiner
- Grade
- Lead Medical Examiner
- Contract
- 3 years (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Part time - 2 sessions per week
- Job ref
- 177-MDCORP-7478739
- Employer
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Lowestoft Road
- Town
- Gorleston
- Salary
- Dependant on experience
- Closing
- 24/10/2025 12:00
Employer heading
Lead Medical Examiner
Lead Medical Examiner
Patient and staff experience is important to us and these are the behaviours we live by:
- Putting patients first
- Aiming to get it right
- Recognising that everybody counts
- Doing everything openly and honestly
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced and compassionate medical professional to lead our Medical Examiner Service. This is a pivotal role in ensuring the quality, transparency, and sensitivity of death certification processes across the Trust.
You will provide clinical leadership to a team of Medical Examiners, ensuring that all deaths not referred to the Coroner are scrutinised appropriately. The role also involves supporting bereaved families, improving patient safety, and contributing to learning from deaths.
Main duties of the job
The Lead Medical Examiner will provide clinical leadership to ensure compliance with the legal and procedural requirements associated with the current processes of certification, investigation (HM Coroner) and registration of deaths within the local authority. The post holder will work collaboratively with the Medical Examiners by sharing experiences and expertise to support peer learning and standardise processes for service delivery. The post holder will report concerns to the Regional Medical Examiner and Chief Medical Officer/Deputy Chief Medical Officer and support the Senior Medical Examiner Officer in the smooth running of the service.
The Lead Medical Examiner position attracts a total of 2 Programmed Activities; 1 PA for the Lead role and 1 PA for Medical Examiner.
Working for our organisation
We want to attract the best and brightest people to work with us and that means we will look after you from the moment you apply for a role at the Trust and throughout your career with us. Our staff are central to everything we do, and we believe that investing in you is crucial if we want to enable you to reach your full potential.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key responsibilities:
- Lead and manage the Medical Examiner Service across the Trust.
- Ensure consistent and high-quality scrutiny of deaths in line with national guidance.
- Provide expert advice on cause of death and certification processes.
- Liaise with bereaved families to explain the cause of death and address concerns.
- Oversee recruitment, training, and professional development of Medical Examiners.
- Collaborate with the Coroner’s Office, Bereavement Services, and clinical governance teams.
- Ensure compliance with statutory requirements and NHS England standards.
- Report to the Regional Medical Examiner and contribute to mortality surveillance.
Further information is provided within the job description.
Person specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential criteria
- MBBS or Basic Medical Degree
- Higher Medical Qualification
- On GMC's Specialist Register or within six months of being admitted to the register by the date of the interviews or eligible for specialist registration
Desirable criteria
- Postgraduate Qualification in Leadership and Management
- The candidate will have successfully completed the approved components of the national on-line training curriculum as a predcondition of employment as a Medical Examiner. Confirmation of appointment is subject to successful completion of 'face to face' component of the national training curriculum (Note: access to on-line training will be available to all medical practitioners registered & licensed to practice in the UK by the GMC).
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Up to date knowledge of clinical causes of death, together with death certification requirements and processes.
- Broad medical knowledge to enable scrutiny of deaths and ability to recognise learning opportunities.
- Knowledge of legal framework and relevant jurisdiction relating to the process of death certification.
- Excellent communication skills with people at all levels including hospital staff, bereaved relatives and coronial staff.
- Ability to help lead and mould service development in this area.
- Commitment to maintain knowledge and keep skills up to date.
- IT competent, for the purposes of efficient scrutiny and routine analysis of information for local clinical governance and public health surveillance.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to undertake routine analysis of information on cause of death for local clinical governance and public health surveillance.
- Ability to demonstrate proportionate and professional judgement to determine the degree to which independent scrutiny is pursued where death certificates have been issued.
Safety and Quality
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of clinical governance systems as they affect the work of professionals and organisations.
- Ability to identify available data sources to support detection and analysis of concerns and to recognise gaps in available knowledge.
- Ability to act proportionately and report sub-standard clinical and organisational performance to relevant colleagues to protect patients.
- Ability to undertake routine analysis of information on cause of death for local clinical governance and public health surveillance.
- Ability to identify good practice and ensure the spread of knowledge amongst relevant colleagues.
- Ability to put in place appropriate reporting, information sharing and feedback mechanisms.
Management and Leadership
Essential criteria
- Work effectively with colleagues toward a shared goal.
- Have proven skills in leading, motivating, developing and managing the performance of colleagues.
- Able to take responsibility, make decisions and exert appropriate authority.
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience in a leadership role.
- Knowledge of finance/budgets.
Communication, partnership and teamwork
Essential criteria
- Ability to communicate effectively within own team and with people in other disciplines e.g. Medical Examiner’s Office, Attending Practitioner, Senior Coroner, Police, Funeral Director, Registrar.
- Ability to communicate effectively and with sensitivity with the relatives or representatives of the deceased when explaining the cause of death.
- Ability to work within own team and closely with people in other disciplines.
- Excellent communication skills with people at all levels including hospital staff, bereaved relatives and coronial staff.
- Good organisational and leadership skills.
Other
Essential criteria
- Awareness and respect for colleagues, patients and relatives’ dignity, privacy, integrity, cultural and religious beliefs.
- Energy and enthusiasm and an ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to contribute an open culture with good communication based on open dialogue and active listening.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to travel to meet the requirements of the post.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Danny Folscher
- Job title
- Senior Medical Examiner Officer
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01493 452177
- Additional information
Dr Rob Major
01493 457202
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
Medical Staffing
James Paget Hospital
Lowestoft Road
Gorleston
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR31 6LA
- Telephone
- 01493 453117
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