About us

Hillingdon Council: Putting our Residents first.

Hillingdon is London's second largest borough, our staff live across Hillingdon and beyond, with our main council office at the Civic Centre in vibrant Uxbridge town centre.

Our borough offers fantastic transport links with the A40, M25, the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines all local to us, so you can travel to work with ease. Putting our residents first is at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking for talented and skilled people to help us deliver our wide range of services across the borough of Hillingdon.

We are currently looking to recruit an Anatomical Pathology Technician to join our team based at the public mortuary in Kingston Lane, Uxbridge where you will be working as part of a positive and collaborative workforce.

The mortuary has undergone a recent refurbishment and is a modern facility with up to date equipment and facilities, we have plans to operate as a training centre, thus you will be joining at an exciting time of growth.

The role is varied, interesting and hugely fulfilling where, amongst other responsibilities, you will ensure the dignity of the deceased is maintained at all times and that the deceased family are supported in line with our customer care standards.

You will assist in post-mortem examinations and releasing the deceased in line with policy, and will provide support to the HM Coroner, Pathologists and Police Forensic Investigators, including Assisting the Pathologist by performing external examinations, recording data and notes.

About the role

Main aspects of the role

· organise formal viewings on behalf of HM Coroner and assist the bereaved in the viewing room

· maintain accurate paper and electronic database records

· ensure accurate records of the deceased property

· Liaise with HM Coroner service, police, funeral directors and other professional partners to ensure a positive working relationship is maintained.

· Assist with the preparation of bodies for post-mortem, viewings, formal identifications, removal by funeral director

· carry out the cleaning and sterilisation of equipment, instruments, the post-mortem suite and ancillary accommodation.

· ensure records are kept up to date and stored safely to ensure compliance with good practice, legislation and the standards of the HTA codes of practice.

· attend the site for the purpose of responding to emergencies (such as fridge alarms), to facilitate urgent post-mortems (e.g. forensic post-mortems) or for the purpose of business continuity of the mortuary service as part of the services on-call rota.

· keep up to date with current mortuary practices and guidance from the Health and Safety Executive and any other professional bodies relating to mortuaries, post-mortem and retention e.g. Human Tissue Authority.

· maintain specialist knowledge of the Human Tissue Authority Act (including Codes of Practice, best practice and Standards) and Licence

About you

The role requires that you hold the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Certificate of Anatomical Pathology Technology

Or

The RSPH Level 3 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology and be willing to work towards the RSPH Level 4 Diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology along with current membership of the Association of Anatomical Pathology Technicians UK (AAPTUK)

We operate on out of hours on call service every 2nd week and you need to be flexible in your approach to working hours, a standby payment is made along with additional paid hours for call outs.

As would be expected you must display diplomacy and tact and ensure that relatives visiting the mortuary are dealt with in a sympathetic, respectful, dignified and caring manner, taking into account their cultural and religious requirements.

What we offer

In addition to a competitive salary of: £28,470 to £29,502 plus additional pay for standby or any overtime worked.

We offer a range of Company benefits. These vary according to the business area and role but typically include:

* local government average salary pension scheme

* Free on-site parking

* a 36-hour week for all full-time staff

* generous holiday entitlement

* career breaks

* hybrid working and flexible working hours

* season ticket loan

* access to a Credit Union

* access to a wide range of training and courses

* discount on a variety of Adult Education courses run by the Council

* payment of professional fees where these are required

* discounts at council-owned leisure centres and swimming pools at Hillingdon (Uxbridge), Queensmead (South Ruislip), Highgrove (Ruislip) and Botwell Green (Hayes)

* cycle purchase scheme

* car sharing scheme

* 30% discount on green fees at council-owned golf courses

Additional information

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Applicants should be aware that the post will only be offered to successful candidates subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.