Job Description

An opportunity has arisen to join our Bereavement team based at Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath, and cover for Royal County Hospital Brighton. The post holder will require excellent customer service, communication and organisational skills with the ability to manage a variety of tasks throughout the working day. The work involves dealing with people at an extremely difficult time in their lives and you must be able to complete the necessary tasks whilst acting in a caring and compassionate way. The post holder must be able to work effectively within a team and autonomously, and be willing to travel between sites to meet the needs of the service.



To co-ordinate the day to day functioning of the bereavement service, ensuring prompt and correct documentation relating to the death of a patient within the trust.

The post holder's key working relationships will be with:

Internal:

Patients and families



Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officer



Mortuary services



Wider patient experience teams



Clinical divisions



Reception and other patient facing teams on site

External:

Coron e r's office



Funeral directors



Registrars



At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.



We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.



As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.



We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.



Candidate information pack - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust



Communication



To be point of access to bereavement services maintaining a n in-person, telephone patient help line and email support for the bereavement office .



Offering compassionate support and information to relatives particularly in relation to registration of deaths, funeral arrangements, post mortems and organ donation both over the telephone and in person when they arrive to collect the paperwork.



Contacting wards to access records



Notifying GPs of the death of a patient



Service Delivery and Improvement



Arrang ing for the medical staff to speak to relatives if any concerns or questions about the death are raised to ensure these are resolved quickly and with a satisfactory outcome.



Witness ing the consenting procedure to a h ospital p ost mortem examination with the designated consultant.



Provid ing full support to the Patient Services Supervisor and assumes day to day responsibi l ity during annual leave and sickness



Manag ing the process of completion of the certificate of death through liaison with doctors of all grades, pathologists, Coroner's officers and risk manager, whe r e appropriate .



L iaising with the hospital chaplain and the contract funeral directors to arrange a funeral where there is no next of kin .



Being aware of the requirements of the Human Tissue Act in relation to hospital post mo r tems and the associated consent process



Being r esponsible for the safekeeping of deceased patients' property including valuables and money ensuring associated documentation is properly completed and the property is in a condition acceptab l e to be handed over to the relatives.



Store cheques receiv ed for doctors



Maintaining compliance with the legal requirements in relation to the issue of cause of death certificates, the registration of deaths and the requirements for referral to the coroner's office.



Advis ing doc t ors on forms ensuring they are completed in a timely way, correctly and the necessary processes are followed .



Record ing all deaths and relevant information on the PANDA database



Document ing all lost property either when it comes to the office or when it is reported lost



Ensuring sufficiency of HTA consent taking training



Completing Free from Infection form s to be used with bodies being repatriated to another country.



Overseeing b ody donations c alls and relevant paperwork sent to bereavement from donor recipient organis ation , also for S chool of Anatomy



For contract funerals, l ocat ing any NOK , register ing death at local Registrar office and buy ing a death certificate. Obtain ing by any means bank details/ cards/statements, all utility bills, any valuable items, gain access to property with HA or council appointee or second member of bereavement team. Notification to landlords or Housing Assoc of rental properties now being empty and Section 21 to be served by them.



Managing d eceased patients' property - Ensure collection, re contact family after 2 weeks if not collected and dispose if requested .



Patient Care Delivery



Support ing relatives if they are distressed when they arrive and escorts relatives to the mortuary to view the deceased when a request to view is made.



Witness ing wills and/or power of attorney when requested and when a doctor has confirmed that the patient is of sound mind, having assessed that the patient knows what they are signing.