Bereavement Officer

**Job overview**:
The post holder is responsible for co-ordinating and issuing the Medical Certificate Cause of Death and all associated administration duties.

The post involves considerable contact with relatives and those associated with the deceased patient, Funeral Directors, Medical staff, Coroner’s Office, Medical Examiners Team, Trust employees and relevant outside agencies. The post holder must work to all Trust Policies, procedures, and legal requirements.

**Main duties of the job**:
Provide telephone and face to face support and guidance, to relatives. And explain the next steps following the death of their relative in the hospital.

Liaise with medical and technical staff within the Trust, Funeral Directors, Registrars, Coroner’s Office, other outside agencies, next of kin, relatives and friends or the appointee of the deceased as required, being professional at all times.

Deal with correspondence and telephone calls of a sensitive and confidential nature.

To be aware of differing religious and cultural beliefs, relating to death. And supporting families so that specific wishes and requests are met where possible.

Relaying sensitive information using tact, diplomacy, and empathy where the need arises.

To ensure that Coroners’ referrals are completed within the agreed policy timescales by the medical teams.

To plan, prioritise, and adapt to a time critical service.

To work flexibly and to work additional hours as and when required to meet the demands of the service. To provide temporary cover on other hospital sites as and when required on an ad hoc basis.

**Working for our organisation**:
The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.

As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to **make a difference** and we’re always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - **care**, **appreciate** and **inspire** - to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including, a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

**Detailed job description and main responsibilities**:
Responsible for preparation of all associated documentation needed, following the death of an inpatient.

Have the Cause of Death Certificate ready for issue within 48 hours of the date of death.

Arrange for the release of the Cause of Death certificate, inform the appointed person of the legal requirement to register the death at the local Registrar’s Office.

Work in conjunction with the Medical Examiners team, in relation to the scrutiny of each deceased patient’s case.

Respond to requests from local Funeral Directors, regarding the preparation of Documentation required for the purpose of cremation.

Arrange for any personal belongings and valuables to be released to an appointed representative of the deceased. Liaise with the Cashier/General Office/Treasury as necessary.

Provide advice and assistance to the Medical, Nursing, Departmental heads relating to Bereavement Service matters.

Direct Patients, Relatives, family members to Trust services and support providers.

Ability to have excellent communications skills to be able to diffuse situations that may have been escalated and to them to resolve in a timely manner.

To be able to work with minimum levels of supervision for long periods of time.

Keeping updated with latest local/Trust and national initiative's.

**Person specification**:
**Qualifications**:
**Essential criteria**:

- NVQ level 3
- GCSE's in Maths and English

**Skills**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Organisation skills
- Communication skills
- IT/Word Processing
- Customer Service

**Employer certification / accreditation badges**: