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.
Deaths in Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Newham, and the City of London are referred to the ME office hosted by Bart’s Health. All community healthcare providers in these areas have been contacted by the Bart’s Health-hosted ME service.
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.
The Bart’s Health ME office’s working hours are 08:00 to 16:00 Monday to Friday, and 08:00 to 11:00 Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays. Jewish and Muslim deaths are dealt with urgently to facilitate the burial requirements of these faiths.
When a GP practice is notified of a patient’s death and will be issuing the death certificate then the process is as follows:
- If the death meets the criteria for referral to the coroner, then the referral should be made as per the current process.
- If not, the GP practice will need to complete the ‘Medical Examiner Referral Form’ which has been uploaded to clinical systems through Resource Publisher.
- Once complete, this is emailed (e.g. through the AccuRx toolbar) to bartshealth.bhtmecommunity@nhs.net
- The ME will then review the referral and review the patients record further if required / or contact the GP practice for more information if required. The ME office will also contact the next of kin to explain the cause of death and to answer any queries or concerns.
- The GP practice will then be contacted by the ME office by return email confirming that a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) can be issued.
Please see below for links to 1) a copy of the Bart’s Health ME office referral form, 2) contact details for the ME office and 3) further info and FAQs.
The National ME office has also made two podcasts available.
GPs and medical examiners working together and changes to the death certification process and introduction of the statutory medical examiner system.
Contact Details
Referral Email: bartshealth.bhtmecommunity@nhs.net
Contact Number: 07840847690 (Monday – Friday 8am to 4pm)
The template and referral are on Resource Publisher
The template is called (RP) Medical Examiners Template NEL CEG v1
The referral is called Medical Examiners GP Referral Form CEG v1
Further information here:
NHS England » Information for primary care on extending medical examiner scrutiny to non-coronial deaths in the community