Published: 27 August 2024

A new statutory medical examiner system is being rolled out across England and Wales to provide independent scrutiny of deaths, and to give bereaved people a voice. Which will be effective from 9 September 2024 all deaths in any health setting that are not investigated by a coroner will be reviewed by NHS medical examiners.

The changes, which form part of the Department of Health’s Death Certification Reforms, were announced by the government on 15 April 2024, and come into force on 9 September 2024.

As part of the changes, there will be a new medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). From 9 September 2024, medical practitioners will be able to complete an MCCD if they attended the deceased in their lifetime.

This represents a simplification of the current rules, which before 9 September require referral of the case to a coroner for review if the medical practitioner had not seen the patient within the 28 days prior to death or had not seen in person the patient after death.

Regional support

Each NHS region has regional medical examiner and a regional medical examiner officer to support medical examiner offices. Regional medical examiners oversee the provision of services and provide an independent line of advice and accountability for medical examiners at trusts in their region.

The Full List of Medical Examiner and Regional Contact Details Can Be found below:

Published: 15 April 2024

To strengthen safeguards, medical examiners will look at the cause of death in all cases that haven’t been referred to the coroner.

Widely welcomed reforms to the system will provide greater transparency to the bereaved and help protect the public

All deaths not investigated by a coroner will be reviewed by medical examiners, from 9 September 2024.

Public protection and support for bereaved families are at the heart of a government overhaul of how deaths are certified.

From September, medical examiners will look at the cause of death in all cases that haven’t been referred to the coroner in a move designed to help strengthen safeguards and prevent criminal activity.

National Medical Examiner, Dr Alan Fletcher said:

I am delighted that the statutory basis for independent medical examiners is confirmed. This will ensure all bereaved people have a voice, supporting patient safety learning and improvement, including through accurate coroner referrals.

Published: March 2024

Please find below the points shared by Dr. Alan Fletcher, the National Medical Examiner on the role out.

The statutory system will not come into force in the first half of April 2024, and DHSC will make further announcements in due course.

• The death certification reforms span multiple government departments.
• The necessary legislative changes are subject to ministerial and parliamentary approval before public announcements can be made

Full article on the link below:

Published: 11 February 2024

This paper summarises the death certification reforms planned from April 2024, and how the statutory medical examiner system will operate when these reforms come into force.

A new system will come into force in April 2024 which will have a huge impact on all Funerals across the country and cover all deaths including those at home or in the community.

Published: 14 December 2023

Those involved in the burial process must be fully aware of these statutory requirements.

To understand this better we will share its implications and procedure at the seminar in your region, and would like to hear from you about any concerns that you may have.

NBC has and will continue its consultation with the cabinet and Medical examiner’s office to ensure that this process does not cause any further delay in burial.

Published: December 2023

Published: December 2022

Achieving the accuracy of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death is vital to the health of the nation and is core to medical examiner work. The Cause of death list has an important part to play, it also helping remind which deaths must be notified to a senior coroner. The publication enables all involved; registrars, doctors, coroners and coroners’ officers to speak from the same page. This is very Welcome, and I am delighted the Royal College of Pathologists brings medical expertise leading the Cause of Death List to greater prominence.

Dr Alan Fletcher 
National Medical Examiner