Death certifications reform

The Royal College of Pathologists serves as the principal medical royal college for medical examiners, playing a crucial role in training both medical examiners and medical examiner officers. Their responsibilities enhance public safety by ensuring the independent review of all deaths which aren’t investigated by a coroner.

NHS England has instigated statutory reform for the medical examiner system. From 9 September 2024, an independent review must be carried out for all deaths in England and Wales, without exception. This will either be provided by independent scrutiny by a medical examiner, or by investigation by a coroner. The transition to a statutory medical examiner system is part of the government’s broader reforms to death certification across England and Wales.

This includes the introduction of a new Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), which allows medical practitioners to complete an MCCD if they attended the deceased during their lifetime. This change simplifies the previous rules, which required referral to a coroner if the medical practitioner had not seen the patient within 28 days prior to death or had not seen the patient in person after death before 9 September.

A summary of the changes has been compiled in the attached document.

Further information on medical examiners, the medical examiner system and the introduction of the non-statutory system from April 2019 may be found in this video resource.