Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for a detailed job description for the role.

Main duties of the job

UHS Mortuary department has an exciting opportunity for a Mortuary Assistant to join our established team of technicians and support staff at all grades.

UHS mortuary delivers a comprehensive range of mortuary and post mortem services to the Trust and HM Coroner’s service in Hampshire, including specialist neuropathology, high-risk infectious post mortems as well as the supra-regional paediatric post mortem service. UHS mortuary is a busy department, receiving over 3000 patients and conducting over 1000 adult and 250 paediatric post mortems a year.

Core working hours are 0730-1700 Monday to Friday, and the department operates a 24/7 out-of-hours technical on call service.

Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.

For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the ‘Job Description and Main Responsibilities’ section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to.

All non-clinical roles may involve a mixture of on site and remote working, Specific details and flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 20% lower than London and 14 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Specific to this role we are open to discussing flexibility in the hours that you work. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need, and we will explore what’s possible for the role and service.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Praised at our latest HTA inspection for our high standard of working practices, positive staff and culture, UHS mortuary is modern, well-equipped and highly secure, with dedicated adult, paediatric & high-risk post mortem facilities.

Your Responsibilities

What You’ll Do

Carry out all of the day-to-day processes relating to the mortuary and post mortem administrative work in consultation with the APT staff. This will include assisting with the care of all patients, liaising with external and internal service users, developing working relationships with these users, working with families and ensuring HTA standards are followed.
The work is varied, complex and requires a high degree of organisation in addition to skills and proficiency in all aspects of mortuary work.
Need to have a flexible approach to daily tasks, demonstrate the ability to work on their own initiative, liaise with others and follow departmental SOPs.

UHS mortuary department continuously seeks opportunities to develop our service and we actively encourage the suggestions & involvement of all staff in all improvement projects. We collaborate widely with a range of other teams and staff groups within the Trust to improve the experience of our service users and raise the profile of mortuary services and the importance of care after death. We also support research and development and have close links with the University of Southampton faculties of Medicine and Life Sciences.

What we’re looking for

Applications are invited from candidates who are enthusiastic about learning and embrace positive change. We are looking for a highly motivated, flexible & resilient individual, who values & works well within a team environment. You must be capable of working effectively and efficiently in a fast-paced and dynamic mortuary environment, whilst prioritising the care & dignity of the deceased. High attention to detail and organisational skills are a must, and you must be able to communicate compassionately and professionally when interacting with bereaved relatives and a diverse range of service users.

Person specification

Trust Values

Essential criteria

Patients First
Always Improving
Working Together

Skills and competencies

Essential criteria

Communication
Advanced Microsoft Office skills
Time management
Data Analysis

Qualifications, Knowledge, And Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working in a busy administrative environment
Experience in a customer facing role.
ECDL or equivalent.
NVQ3 in Administration or working towards.
Able to present information to others.
Able to use judgement and initiative to provide information and support
Able to apply tact and sensitivity to establish trust and confidence
Empathetic approach to dealing with and resolving enquiries
Previous administrative experience in a similar setting
Able to compose correspondence and reports.
Be able to cope with seeing and hearing sensitive & distressing information within a bereavement setting
To have read and understood basics of Caldicott principles and GDPR
Uses of empathy and emotional intelligence when dealing with difficult situations
Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with a wide range of patients, in situations where there may be barriers to understanding (e.g. language difficulties, anxious or distressed parents/families
Understands the importance of confidentiality and takes responsibility for protecting confidential information.

Desirable criteria

NHS or public sector experience
Working with funeral directors/coroner’s service
Knowledge & Experience in using Patient Management System
Knowledge of medical Terminology
Knowledge of patient management systems.
Good understanding of the coronial system
Good working knowledge of mortuary practices.

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT

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