Bereavement Officer

Company Description

Working as a partnership, both Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust have a shared vision for excellence in care for our patients and communities; with a set of strategic aims underpinning how we will achieve this. 

The single corporate service is delivered across both organisation.  You may be based at either IWT or PHU and individuals may be required to undertake business travel between sites. For leaders managing staff across multi-site locations, you will need to be visible and provide in person leadership. The arrangements and frequency will be agreed locally.

Job Description

This role is for internal applicants from PHU and IWT only. 

Band 3 Salary:  £25,760 - £27,476 per annum                    

Hours Per Week: full time 37.5

Contract Type: Permanent

‘Should this post receive a high number of applicants, this role may close early.’

The post holder will be compassionate and professional, who will play a crucial role in supporting bereaved families. You will assist the Bereavement Services Manager in liaising with the Medical Examiner Officers (MEOs) in their supportive role to the Medical Examiners.

• You will be the first point of contact from relatives of deceased patients and deal with enquiries in a sensitive and efficient manner. You will offer support and guidance to colleagues across the Trust, as well as, medical examiners, external agencies and members of the public, funeral directors, crematoriums and registrars etc.

Specific Core Functions

• Follow departmental and Trust Policies and procedures, referring to the Bereavement Services Manager when required. Comment on and follow departmental protocols and procedures.  Ensure that the Bereavement Service is run within set boundaries.
• Provide sensitive and timely support to the relatives and representatives of patients who die while in the care of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure smooth running of the Bereavement Service.
• Discuss issues which may be delicate and where there may be communication difficulties.
• Provide solutions for routine queries and concerns.
• Plan and organise straightforward activities.
• Liaise with Doctors in Portsmouth Hospitals trust on a regular basis to ensure legal paperwork is completed accurately in a timely and appropriate manner in accordance with the bereaved relatives’ wishes for cremation or burial.

For further details please refer to enclosed job description.

Qualifications

GCSE level of education or equivalent

Secretarial skills, acquired through an NVQ 3 or equivalent experience

Experience

• Experience of of working in Healthcare/NHS
• Demonstrable experience in an admin role with a good knowledge of office procedures
• Experience of working in a people-centred environment
• Experience of working with the public. 
• Commitment to personal and professional development
• Effective communicator both orally and on paper

Knowledge 

• Keyboard skills to RSA level 3
• Excellent listening skills
• Tact and diplomacy when dealing with highly sensitive issues
• Ability to present highly sensitive information in a highly emotive situation
• Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with staff on all levels, patients and relatives.

Additional Information

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.