Mortuary Assistant

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is one of the largest healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 40,000 staff across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health services to a population of over 1.15 million people, and to a wider population of 2.2 million when regional and national services are included.

The Role

The Mortuary is located within the laboratory building at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) site and is one of the largest in the UK, providing adult, paediatric and forensic services. In addition there are satellite mortuaries located at a number of hospitals throughout the NHS GG&C area as follows: Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Gartnavel General, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Vale of Leven Hospital and Inverclyde Royal.

The Mortuary service is aligned with the Pathology service for NHSGG&C.

The entire Pathology service for NHSGG&C is delivered from a purpose built laboratory on the QEUH campus. Essential Service Laboratories (ESLs) are located at the Stobhill and Victoria Infirmary ambulatory care hospitals and at the acute sites of Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Inverclyde Royal Hospital. The Mortuary service is provided by various professional groups including medical staff, Anatomical Pathology Technologists, Mortuary Assistants and Clerical Officers. The department is the busiest Mortuary within the UK, undertaking approximately 3000 post mortem examinations per annum.

Duration, Location, and Working Pattern:

There are 2x permanent, full-time posts available at 36 hours per week.

The role is based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

The shift pattern is rotational shift pattern.

08:30-16:00 M-F

12:00-20:00 M-F (currently 1:3)

Weekend

Saturday 09:00-13:00 (1:6)

Key Responsibilities

• Receive and release deceased brought into the mortuary from the wards or community, ensuring all identification protocols are followed and strictly adhered to.
• Ensuring all relevant documentation is completed correctly, and all mortuary records are kept up to date, including an accurate record being maintained regarding valuables and property accompanying the deceased to the mortuary.
• Ensuring any jewellery or property, removed from the deceased whilst in the mortuary before release to the funeral director, police, identified relative, is recorded in the ‘Patient‘s Property, Clothing, Cash and Valuables’ register.
• Check that all statutory documentation e.g. consent forms, cremation forms, release forms have been completed correctly, and follow up any mistakes. Ensure all documents pertaining to foetal death are completed correctly.
• Prepare deceased for viewing/identification by relatives, police etc. Prepare and present bodies for Clinical Staff completing cremation forms.
• Provide assistance to Anatomical Pathology Technicians and Crime Scene Officers in examining, photographing and fingerprinting the deceased as instructed.
• Ensure patient confidentiality and compliance with organisational Data Protection and security policies.
• Help distressed and emotional relatives and staff by providing support and advice in a compassionate way when receiving and giving highly sensitive information.

Essential

• Educated to HNC/ SVQ level 3 or a minimum of 3 Highers at grade C or above (or equivalent qualification)
• Good literacy and numeracy skills
• Experience of working with the public
• Knowledge of Health & Safety policies and procedures
• Knowledge of confidentiality and Data Protection policies
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including good verbal communication skills due to the requirement to liaise with bereaved relatives in a respectful and courteous manner
• Good time management and organisational skills
• Good physical skills due to the requirement for manual handling

Desirable

• Experience of working with the deceased
• Good computer skills
• A driving licence is also desirable due to the requirement to travel between sites

What We Offer

We offer a wide range of supportive policies designed to enhance your employee journey, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work Scheme, bursary scheme and extensive learning and development opportunities.

As an NHS Scotland employee, you will be entitled to:

• A minimum of 27 days annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus public holidays
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including life insurance benefits
• Salary Sacrifice Car Benefit Scheme
• Development opportunities including study bursaries, e-learning and classroom-based courses
• Enhanced pay for working public holidays
• NHS discounts on a wide range of goods and services
• Confidential employee support and assistance, including counselling and psychological therapies

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.

For An Informal Discussion, Please Contact

Deborah Brown, Post Mortem Manager, 0141 451 5815, ***email_hidden***

Information for candidates

This post may close early due to the volume of response. Please submit your application form as soon as possible.

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application, but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you, not an AI tool.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) recognises the importance of work-life balance and is committed to offering a range of flexible working options where service needs allow. For roles where less than full-time hours can be accommodated, and where the tenure is listed as “various” , we encourage applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements. Flexible working will be included as a topic for discussion during the recruitment process.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community . We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and are proud of the diverse workforce we employ.

By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NHSGGC has pledged its commitment to being a Forces Friendly Employer. We welcome applications from across the Armed Forces Community and recognise military skills, experience and qualifications throughout the recruitment and selection process.

For application portal or log-in issues, please contact the Jobtrain Support Hub in the first instance.