London Anatomy Office Manager

Job id: 085585. Salary: £43,205 – £50,585 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 01 March 2024. Closing date: 17 March 2024.

Business unit: Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine. Department: Bioscience Education.

Contact details:Jocelyn Pryce. [email protected]

Location: Guy’s Campus. Category: Professional & Support Services.

Job description

The London Anatomy Office (LAO) is responsible for coordinating the donation of human bodies for anatomical education, training and research. Each year approximately 350 donated bodies are accepted by the LAO on behalf of nine medical schools in London and the south-east of England. Representatives from the nine medical schools constitute the London and South East Committee of Anatomists (LSECA). Whilst the LAO is housed in the Centre for Education at Kings College London, it is directly accountable to LSECA.

The LAO consists of two members of staff – Office Manager and Operations Assistant. They will be employed by Kings College London (KCL) on behalf of the LSECA. Therefore, they will have a dual line management system. The operational elements of the LAO and its staff will be supervised and line managed by the Chair of the LSECA whereas the HR aspects of their job will be overseen by a nominated KCL HR professional.

The LSECA is seeking to appoint an experienced and highly motivated individual to lead the operations of the LAO. The post holder, supported by one member of staff will be required to lead and manage the day to day running of the office and the services they provide to a high standard, in line with LSECA’s Code of Practice and the Human Tissue Authority standards.  

The post holder will be a key contact whilst liaising with donors and their next of kin, before and after death, the medical schools and the LSECA, ensuring that the processes and records of the donation are meticulously implemented and maintained whilst also being a source of solace for the donors and their relatives.

They will manage all the administrative procedures associated with a donor’s pathway including but not limited to notification of death, acceptance of donor for anatomical examination, allocation to a medical school, and release of donors from medical schools.

The post holder will require excellent communication and organisational skills in order to be instrumental in providing operational leadership to ensure the delivery of a high quality, timely and effective body donation service. They will be expected to continually monitor and ensure a positive, caring, professional service, incorporating stakeholder and relatives’ feedback to improve quality of service delivered.

The post holder is also expected to respond positively to the changing demands of the service in order to ensure the effective delivery of a high-quality service that meets the needs of all users and displays high standards of dignity and respect.

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract.

This is a full-time  post – 100% full time equivalent.

This is a hybrid role with at least 2-3 days on campus. The hybrid working pattern will need to be approved by the Chair of LSECA.

Key responsibilities

• To be responsible for the day to day efficient and effective operational management of the LAO’s body donation service, reporting to the LSECA Chair in all matters affecting the delivery of core services.
• To ensure full compliance with current Human Tissue Authority (HTA) standards for anatomical examination and to ensure future compliance through quality improvements.
• To ensure all enquiries from relevant stakeholders are answered in a timely and effective manner, and communicate complex and technical information in an understandable way to people with different levels of understanding.
• To be able to regularly deal with highly emotionally charged situations in a resilient and positive manner.
• To develop a strong understanding of the key points and criteria required to accept a donor for anatomical examination upon notification of a death. 
• To liaise with several parties including next of kin, executor, solicitor, doctor, funeral director, and Bereavement/Patient affairs office in order to establish all the necessary information required for donor acceptance.
• To ensure that any donor accepted for anatomical examination has appropriate consent in place, in line with the Human Tissue Act 2004.
• To establish the suitability of donor for anatomical examination based on pre-defined criteria and donor’s medical records.
• To liaise with medical schools, LAO’s funeral service provider and transport company with instructions for collection of body.
• To give information, advice and support to relatives when a donor cannot be accepted for anatomical examination, using highly competent skills and the ability to modify the use of language, tone and content appropriate to different people and situations along with strong behavioural awareness and listening skills.
• To deal sympathetically with grieving relatives and promote excellence and respect in the management of the deceased.
• To ensure the donors electronic file contains all the required documentation, maintain and update all donor databases in a timely and accurate manner, and appropriately process cremation papers.
• To ensure information contained within the office and online are securely stored and are compliant with Information Governance and GDPR Regulations in line with KCL policy.
• To liaise with medical schools and LAO’s funeral service provider for release of donors for cremation and/or private burial.
• To support the LSECA Treasurer in managing the financial arrangements between the LAO, the University of London, and the relevant medical schools to ensure that invoices are issued and paid on time.
• To manage the administrative processes associated with financial donations to the LAO and/or the LSECA.
• To take a lead in the organisation of the annual service of thanksgiving attended by the next of kin of donors, medical school representatives and students.
• To undertake annual duty of care visits to all medical schools using the LAO’s services.
• To implement longer term solutions to issues raised, when required. These will range from basic administration issues to more complex approaches requiring the support and agreement of the LSECA Executive Committee, medical schools and funeral service providers.
• To line manage the Operations Assistant and develop a working environment with an open culture that fosters high morale and commitment, and promotes well-being and personal development.
• To ensure the establishment and maintenance of good relationships and communication with all stakeholders using the LAO.
• To produce, maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs), risk register and risk assessments within the office.
• To be able to meet strict deadlines and prioritise workload as needed.
• To undertake appropriate competency training as and when required.
• To order stationary and other consumables required for the office through KCL’s internal finance systems.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

Educated to relevant Degree level or equivalent, with IT proficiency.

Experience in a relevant post or extensive service administration experience with clear transferable skills.

Excellent communication skills both verbal & written with excellent interpersonal skills.

Practical and creative approach to problem solving and able to resolve conflicts.

Ability to make decisions on a day-to-day basis for advising and implementing policies.

Excellent organisational, time management and prioritisation skills with the ability to work on own initiative.

An understanding of the practical and emotional issues around bereavement and an ability to handle them appropriately.

Proactive and responsive to contacts in immediate area, across the wider organisation and externally, to build relationships and network.

Excellent planning and analytical skills, with a good level of numeracy, an eye for detail and a systematic approach to work.

A basic understanding of the HTA standards for anatomical examination, particularly in the area of consent, governance and quality systems.

A basic understanding of death certification procedures and the relevant legal framework and the roles of other agencies.

Desirable criteria

Experience of supervising/advising junior team members, giving feedback on performance levels and training/coaching where necessary.

Able and willing to provide support beyond core hours, as required.

Previous experience of working with the bereaved.

Basic knowledge of medical terminology.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service.