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Verified Skilled Worker sponsor

Medical Examiner Officer

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
South Shields, NE34 0PL Posted 8 October 2026 Apply by 22 October 2026
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This role is listed by an employer that holds a live Home Office sponsor licence on the Skilled Worker route.

Salary for this role£32,073 – £39,043 a year
Health and Care route minimum£25,000 a year
Pay basisNational pay scales (NHS bands)

NHS roles fall under the Health and Care Worker route. Salaries set by national pay scales (NHS bands) at or above the relevant band rate typically meet the occupation's requirement.

Individual eligibility depends on personal circumstances. These figures are public reference information, not advice or a verdict on this job.

Role description

Job summary

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 service is seeking a motivated, organised and compassionate individual to join our Medical Examiner Service to work closely with Medical Examiners, prepare and process core documents involved in death certification, act as a source of expertise, advice and knowledge for relatives and health care professionals involved in the death certification process.

The postholder will also help to that ensure deaths are reviewed in a timely, transparent and consistent manner, enabling accurate completion of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCD), improving mortality data quality and strengthening learning from deaths.

The MEO acts as a liaison between clinical teams, bereaved families, Coroner's Offices, 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 care.

The successful candidate would be joining an existing small and friendly team who are based at South Tyneside District Hospital. Training will be provided, although previous completion of e-learning Medical Examiner Officer training would be preferable.

Main duties of the job

Act as primary point of contact for the Medical Examiner Service, working collaboratively with clinicians, Coroners, registration services and bereavement teams.

Co-ordinate the review and scrutiny of deaths in line with National Medical Examiner guidance.

Carry out the initial screening of electronic medical notes of deceased patients to identify cases that clearly require referral to Coroner or structured review, preparing cases for the Medical Examiner. A good working knowledge of medical terminology and clinical understanding is necessary.

Liaise sensitively and compassionately with the bereaved, providing information including agreed causes of death and gathering any concerns they have, actioning them accordingly.

Discuss findings of Medical Examiner reviews with qualified attending practitioners. This involves appropriate interpretation and negotiation with practitioners.

To maintain accurate records having due regard to legal aspects, confidentiality and managerial information/project requirements. Attention to detail is an important requirement.

Completion of the core 26 Medical Examiner e-learning modules developed by the RoyalSociety of Pathologists and one day face to face Medical Examiner Officer teaching.

The Medical Examiner Service office hours are 8-4. Given the role is 35 hours, there is flexibility around start and/or finish times which can be discussed although will depend on service requirements.

About us

Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Looking after our workforces health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Details

Date posted

08 October 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£32,073 to £39,043 a year pro rata for part time - 35 hours per week

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

C9155-CRAC-1026-14

Job locations

South Tyneside District Hospital

Harton Lane

South Shields

NE34 0PL

United Kingdom


Job description

Job responsibilities

To participate in the processes of death certification and referrals to the Coroner.

To work with the Medical Examiners and Officers to maintain the Medical Examiner Service in line with Department of Health proposals.

To act as a source of expertise, advice and knowledge for relatives and health care professionals involved in the process.

To assist in highlighting cases for review by the Structured Judgement Review team (SJR),the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), Clinical Governance teams and the Learning Disability Review team (LeDeR).

To participate in developing protocols, guidelines and policies for service development.

PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR FULL DUTIES OF THE ROLE

Please note the Trust are not able to offer Skilled Worker Sponsorship for this role as it does not meet the UKVI threshold requirements. Applicants are requested to consider this when making their application. Please visit Gov.UK for further information

Person Specification

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Standard keyboard skills

Skills and knowledge

Essential

  • Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to communicate in difficult and emotional situations with empathy and professionalism with all stakeholders.
  • Ability to work as part of a team and organise fluctuating workload around competing priorities. Ability to work to deadlines and achieve agreed objectives.
  • Proactive and self-motivated
  • Approachable and supportive to all levels of staff and bereaved families in a non-judgemental and discreet manner.
  • Professional appearance, manner and awareness of impact of own behaviour on others.
  • Ability to maintain a calm manner in a range of challenging and emotive circumstances.
  • Competent in the use of IT software systems and handling sensitive personal identifiable data.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with people in sensitive and emotional situations.
  • General knowledge of clinical/medical terminology.
  • Knowledge of the Coroner & Justice Act 2009 reference to the medical examiner system
  • Full understanding of the medical examiner system operational remit

Desirable

  • Experience of working in a healthcare setting with multi-disciplinary teams across organizational boundaries.
  • Knowledge of the special requirements of various faith groups and respect for equality and diversity of issues around formalities following a death.

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to Batchelors degree level or equivalent working knowledge in related field.
  • A commitment to life-long learning and undertaking personal development opportunities.
  • The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the recently bereaved.
  • Completed e-learning MEO core training modules prior to starting in the post

Employer details

Employer name

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Address

South Tyneside District Hospital

Harton Lane

South Shields

NE34 0PL

United Kingdom


Employer's website

https://www.stsft.nhs.uk


Interested? Apply while it's open. Closes 22 October · South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has 11 other sponsored roles if this one goes.
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Last verified against our ingestion on 8 October 2026; sponsor register dataset 2026-09-25.

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