Bereavement Services Officer

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The team works closely with clinical and non-clinical staff, both internally and externally, to provide an efficient and compassionate service to the bereaved after the death of a patient. In particular the team facilitates the completion of necessary documentation to allow registration and organisation of funerals.

Main duties of the job

An opportunity has arisen to join the well-established Bereavement Service at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The team play a key role in the Trust's commitment to delivering outstanding care, every time.

The role of Bereavement Services Officer is interesting and varied. Working in a busy unpredictable environment, you will require excellent customer service, communication and organisational skills and be computer literate. You must be able to work independently and also flourish in a team.

You will work closely with relatives of deceased patients, a wide range of healthcare professionals and external stakeholders. You must be able to respond appropriately and sensitively to a diverse group at a difficult time in their lives and be capable of working with competing demands in a calm and professional manner. You will be able to deliver information in a clear and precise way.

We are looking for an individual that is keen to learn and play a vital role in developing and improving the service we provide to colleagues and to the bereaved. Working within a supportive team, this is a challenging, but rewarding post.

Job responsibilities

1. To be a source of expert advice and support to medical and managerial staff on the administrative procedures following death, for example to ensure that all Medical Certificates of Cause of Death are completed correctly to prevent added distress to the relatives.
2. To coordinate the completion of Cremation Certificates and any other supplementary documentation required after the death of a patient, troubleshooting when necessary.
3. To be conversant with the types of deaths required by law to be reported to the Coroners Office.
4. To provide detailed information for the bereaved relatives on the practical procedures involved with death registration and to advise on the availability of community support where necessary.
5. To advise the next-of-kin on the process and legal requirements for repatriation of the deceased.
6. To offer advice and information for funeral arrangements as appropriate.
7. To ensure that all deceased patients details are recorded on the Eden database, including community and Emergency Department deaths.
8. To use discernment in recognising the needs of newly bereaved people, so that support in terms of counselling or other help may be made available, either inside the hospital or by referral to other organisations.
9. To work closely with the local Coroners officers in providing information and documentation for cases referred to the Coroner, liaising with clinicians where necessary.
10. To be conversant with the necessary documentation and policies to release bodies from the Mortuary to the funeral directors.
11. To ensure that general practitioners and any outside agency involved with the patients care is informed of the death as soon as possible, including the production of standard letters.
12. To update files and hospital system in relation to patients death.
13. To accurately record details of the person collecting the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death ensuring that their next-of-kin status is in accordance with hospital policy.
14. To process all cash and valuables placed in safe custody, liaising with Finance to ensure the return of monies following discharge or death.
15. To facilitate hospital procedures for arranging funerals for adults where no relatives have been identified.
16. To support the arrangement of funeral services for pregnancy losses, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
17. To ensure that all duties described above are carried out in accordance with office procedures and in a timely and efficient manner.

Person Specification Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good planning and organisational skills, including high level of accuracy, under pressure and ability to work to strict deadlines
• Ability to liaise effectively and professionally in person and on the telephone with a range of people
• Ability to juggle conflicting demands, prioritise tasks
• One year's previous experience of Office Administration
• Computer/word processing skills/databases (e.g word, excel, Microsoft office)
• Awareness of need for discretion, sensitivity and high levels of confidentiality
• Ability to organise own work effectively and to be able to work as part of a team in a collaborative and supportive fashion
• Experience of working in health or social care
• Previous experience of working in Bereavement Services
• An understanding of the current issues relating to governance within the NHS

Qualifications

• Numerate and literate to A level standard or equivalent experience

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 name

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Georges Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£31,944 to £34,937 a year pro rata inclusive of HCAS (Inner)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

200-NN A&C-Y

Job locations

St Georges Hospital NHS Foundation Trust