Mortuary Technician - The Bank Hospital

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

to receive and release bodies from the mortuary, assist at post-mortem examinations, and to deal with relatives of the deceased in a sympathetic manner.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• To ensure that the mortuary and its equipment is maintained to the highest possible standards of cleanliness, safety and efficiency.
• To ensure that the acceptance and release of bodies into the mortuary is carried out and that all bodies are stored in proper conditions. To liaise with the portering staff who fulfil this role out of hours.
• Recordkeeping and interdepartmental liaison
• Liaison with Funeral Parlour representatives
• To prepare bodies for post-mortem examination as required by the pathologists. To replace organs and restore bodies after the autopsy is complete.
• To aid and/or remove organs for specific donations (research and transplants) as requested by departmental medical staff.
• To liaise with the medical staff in the department regarding post-mortems to be performed.
• To handle and label specimens to be kept for histology, demonstrations or photography.
• Customer liaison and facilitation. To escort relatives and deal with them in a sympathetic manner. To adhere to customer service protocols and adopt a professional approach to customer care at all times.
• To carry out photography of gross specimens when required.

• To assist with the organisation and removal of tissues for the National Blood Service and Tissue Donation Services.
• To comply with the Health and Safety regulations of the department.
• To assist with High risk post-mortems and to ensure that rigorous safety procedures are followed during these post-mortems.
• To carry out specialised techniques, e.g. remove temporal bones, brain and spinal cord from some bodies and assist in post-mortem research
• To assist with diagnosis and/or teaching for hospital post-mortems and to ensure that this is carried out according to current legislation and that all necessary documentation is complete.
• To maintain adequate supplies of consumables and reagents and co-ordinate their stock control.
• To assist in the investigation of incidents on behalf of the department, liaising with Wards and departments and escalating to the Mortuary Supervisor or Nursing manager where appropriate.
• To ensure compliance and maintenance of the document control system for the Mortuary
• To ensure prompt response to enquiries and any follow up, including incidents, investigations and complaints.
• To assist with the training and supervision of junior medical staff in both basic and advanced post-mortem techniques.
• To participate in the induction of newly appointed nursing staff by explaining procedure in the event of a death.
  
  

Qualification Required & Experience

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Diploma in Anatomical Pathology or equivalent
• Membership of professional body
• At least 2 years’ experience in a mortuary. Private hospital experience is an advantage
• Ability to communicate efficiently verbally and in writing in English to members of the team and outside agencies
• Demonstrate good communication and interpersonal skills
• Computer literate
• Ability to handle bodies and transfer from trolleys to post-mortem tables and into the refrigerated store.
• Ability to work accurately, neatly and efficiently
• Flexible approach to actual hours of work
• Ability to plan and organise workload