• Full Time
• Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
• 28,407 – 34,581 £ / Year

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job Summary

A senior Anatomical Pathology Technician post has arisen within the Mortuaries at the Bedford Hospital NHS Trust.

This is a cross-site post; working at both Bedford Hospital & the Luton & Dunstable Hospital.

There are over 2,500 admissions per annum, with approximately 550 post mortem examinations. Bedford site deals with all Forensic cases and is in piloting a PM CT service for the county of Bedfordshire.

We are a small dedicated team of ten staff delivering the Mortuary & Bereavement Service to the hospitals and our community, promoting the Trusts’ THRIVE values.

As well as having the level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology you will need extensive experience of working in a busy mortuary environment; including post mortem examination skills.

The successful applicant will have a sympathetic and respectable mature attitude and be vigilant of strict confidentiality required for this role. You will need an understanding of and respect for the requirements of the diverse population of Bedfordshire.

Main duties of the job

To assist the mortuary & bereavement team with providing a professional Mortuary service for Bedfordshire Hospitals, liaising with all members of the multi-disciplinary team involved in the care of the deceased & with service users.

To assist the mortuary management team with the maintenance of the quality management system documentation for the provision of the mortuary service to UKAS & HTA standards.To carry out post mortem procedures, both routine & advanced.Prepare deceased patients for & assisting with viewings.The post holder will ensure dignified, sympathetic & empathetic mortuary service in line with the laws & codes of practice relating to the mortuary.Duties will be undertaken across both hospital sites; mortuaries at the Luton & Dunstable& Bedford Hospital sites.The post holder will assist in providing training for new members of the mortuary team , promoting excellence throughout practice.The post holder will assist the Bereavement Support Office Team in co-ordinating the day-to-day functions of the Bereavement Support Service.Providing correct, informative, support & advice to bereaved relatives. To advise staff about the administrative procedures following death including medical and nursing teams.Contribute to maintaining a high quality service through evaluation & monitoring.Assist the Bereavement Support Officer team in developing the service in response to Trust requirements & national initiatives.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career.

We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. Please ensure that you make your application as soon as possible.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Responsible for organising own workload, work is managed rather than supervised.

Liaise with Consultant, mortuary and BMS staff regarding investigations to be performed.Liaise with hospital staff, the Bereavement Officer, Police and Coroners Officers, funeral companies. Communicate with bereaved families.Supervises junior Anatomical Pathology Technicians.Maintains computer and written records relating to the deceaseds admission and discharge, property, valuables, post-mortem consent forms and cremation forms.Assist in the completion of Cremation forms.Implements policies and procedures within Mortuary, comments on existing and proposed policies and procedures which affect other departments and areas.Responsible for maintaining supplies in Mortuary.Responsible for the safe use of equipment within the Mortuary.Attends departmental meetings as/when applicable or required.Daily receipt and release of bodies ensuring that they meet quality standards of identification and documentation as defined in Standard Operating Procedures.

Assisting the Pathologists at Post-mortem, including the preliminary dissection of bodies, the correct labelling, weighing and treatment of specimens taken for laboratory examination, tissue sampling collection and data collection.

Frequent physical and cosmetic reconstruction of bodies after post-mortem for subsequent viewing by relatives, including bodies suffering trauma after accidents.

Maintain high standards of hygiene, safety and best practice within the post mortem suite and associated areas.

Undertake daily computer data entry and ensure that accurate records of patient information are maintained at all times.

Take part in any mortuary on-call service.Participates in internal quality control and external quality assurance.

Maintains Mortuary equipment, benches and storage space in a clean and tidy state.

Occasionally participates in equipment testing and new techniques.

Report any instance or event which may cause a service delivery failure

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience of routine post mortem, High risk postmortems. Experience working in a busy mortuary environment.

Desirable

• Training of junior APT staff Forensic Postmortem experience Experienced cross site working

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology

Desirable

• Level 4 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology Membership of the Association of Anatomical Pathology Technologists

Communication Skills

Essential

• Written and verbal communication skills Good telephone manner Able to write clearly and accurately. Precise record keeping Professional and friendly manner both face to face and by telephone

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology Knowledge of routine mortuary procedures

Desirable

• Understanding of formal processes after death. Processes involved in organising hospital funerals

Skills

Essential

• Dissection and reconstruction skills Advanced IT skills with demonstrable knowledge of Word, Excel and Outlook Create database, spreadsheets, reports and power point presentation. Identify gaps, review develop inter-departmental policies Ability to travel between sites when required

Desirable

• Empathetic nature

Physical/Mental effort

Essential

• Combination of sitting, standing and walking Ability to work with interruptions Frequent short episodes of concentration Ability to deal with distressed people on a daily basis Exposure to traumatic injuries and decomposed bodies There is an on-going requirement throughout the shift, for moderate physical effort when manoeuvring the mortuary trolley and intense physical effort when there is a body on the trolley

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 21 April 2024

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.