Death Certification Reforms will come into force on Monday 9 September 2024 meaning independent scrutiny by a medical examiner (ME) will become a statutory requirement prior to the registration of all non-coronial deaths in England and Wales
from this date. The regulations were laid in parliament on Monday 15 April 2024 and announced by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The medical examiner system is designed to:
- improve the quality/accuracy of medical certification of cause of death.
- advise on whether the law requires the coroner to be informed about a death.
- provide bereaved families with greater transparency and opportunities to raise concerns.
- provide the public with greater safeguards through improved and consistent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths.
- support local learning/improvement by identifying matters in need of clinical governance and related processes.
Subsequent to the ministerial announcement of the statutory date, NHS England communications were sent out in the Primary Care Bulletin and Healthcare Leaders Update to inform GP Practices and NHS trusts that they must make arrangements with ME offices if they have not already done so.
Deaths in Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham are referred to the ME service at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital NHS Trust (BHRUT). Medical examiner’s and Medical examiner officer’s operate cross-site between Queen’s and King Georges Hospital.
Our office working hours are 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday.
Out of hours: 09:00 to 12:00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays (mainly to facilitate the urgent faith deaths that require a timely burial).
Contact details:
Referral email: bhrut.medicalexamineroffice@nhs.net
Contact number (office hours): 01708 504 343
Out of hours contact number (9am-12pm weekends/Bank holidays): 01708 435 000 Ext: 3304 or 5922
The template and referral are on Resource Publisher
Further information here:
NHS England » Information for primary care on extending medical examiner scrutiny to non-coronial deaths in the community