About this role
Job summary
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.
About us
University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.
Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.
We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.
At UHS we're committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.
At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We're committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.
Job description Job 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 youll do:
1. 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.2. The work is varied, complex and requires a high degree of organisation in addition to skills and proficiency in all aspects of mortuary work.3. 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 were looking forApplications 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
Qualifications, knowledge, and experience Essential
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
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.
Skills and competencies Essential
Communication Advanced Microsoft Office skills Time management Data Analysis
Trust Values Essential
Patients First Always Improving Working Together
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).
Employer details Employer name University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
Address Southampton General Hospital
Tremona Road
Southampton
SO16 6YD
Employer's website https://www.uhs.nhs.uk/home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)