Bereavement Officer

Job overview

To provide a professional, proactive and sensitive service to bereaved relatives, whilst ensuring the Trust’s statutory obligations are fulfilled.  To take part in continuously review practice and develop policies which incorporate national guidance and Human Tissue Authority Legislation.  To work closely with other key professionals both within and outside the Trust in order to meet individual needs.  To promote an awareness of bereavement issue within a multi faith, multi-cultural environment.

The post holder will work in parallel with the Medical Examiner’s Office and work alongside the Medical Examiners Officers and Medical Examiner to provide a service.

Main duties of the job

· Liaising with both internal and external users of the service, by phone and in person.

· To take part in daily meetings with the bereavement supervisor to discuss daily deaths.

· To assist the bereaved by answering any questions they may raise, arranging for them to speak or contact the most appropriate person or agency. To deal with bereaved persons who may have difficult family situations or circumstances. 

· Liaise with the Anatomy office, regarding donation of bodies left to medical science.

· Liaise with the hospital chaplaincy team for spiritual support for the bereaved.

· Liaise with the bereavement midwife, delivery suite and SCBU following the death of a baby.

· Liaise with funeral directors or authorised persons

· Ensure cultural and religious beliefs are respected and complied with at all times.

· Notify General Practitioners of deaths.

· To be familiar with Q-Pulse quality system and ensure all documents are read and acknowledged when reviewed and updated.

· To be familiar with Eden and ensure that all communication is recorded on Eden.

· To take part in the writing of condolence cards and ensure these are sent to families within 4 weeks of the death.

· To take part in arranging and facilitating visits with family members.

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. Transforming Healthcare is the vision at the heart of the King’s Strategy – 2026 to 2031. Together, we are pursuing six strategic ambitions: delivering high-quality patient care; being a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability.  Achieving these ambitions will require all of us to work as one Team King’s, united by a shared commitment to our values of being caring, collaborative, inclusive and innovative. By living these values every day, we will transform healthcare for our patients, our communities and each other

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General

• The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.
• To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
• We want to be an organisation where everyone shares a commitment to delivering the very best care and feels like their contribution is valuable and valued.

• Our values at King’s:

Caring – we put patients and their families first and show compassion and respect in every interaction with them, as well as with one another.

Collaborative – across all of our hospitals and services, we work as one team with partners and our communities, to deliver the best possible outcomes.

Inclusive – we celebrate diversity, listening to different voices and creating a culture where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

Innovative – we constantly seek new ideas and smarter ways of working to improve care, research and education.

• To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.
• To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
• This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
• All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication.
• Everyone is responsible for promoting inclusion no matter their role or team. At King’s, we want to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and welcomed

Person specification

Bereavement experience

Essential criteria

• Proven experience working with grieving families
• Educated to GCSE level A-C grade or equivalent including English and Maths
• Ability to work effectively as a team player and as a lone worker
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, demonstrating influencing skills and the ability to listen Ability to liaise effectively with all levels of staff
• A strong sense of personal and team accountability coupled to a clear understanding of the boundaries around delegated authority

Desirable criteria

• Bereavement Counselling

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

AI tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can support you as you complete your application. For example, they can check for spelling or grammar errors, or help you to decide what to include. They shouldn’t however replace your own responses or be used to write the application for you.

Relying too much on AI can negatively impact your chances of success because automatically generated answers:

• might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile
• often seem generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective
• could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience 

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications