A new statutory medical examiner system is being rolled out in England and Wales from April 2024 to provide independent scrutiny of all deaths that aren’t referred to the coroner.
Medical examiners review medical records and work with doctors to complete a medical certificate of the cause of death (MCCD), commonly known as the death certificate.
They talk to the family about their experience of care and discuss and agree the proposed MCCD with them. The MCCD must be completed before the death can be registered and the body released to the family.
Before answering these questions, please read the information about the proposed changes on our website.
We understand how important it is for bereaved families to be able to make funeral or other arrangements as quickly as possible and are committed to minimising any disruption.
To help to make sure the new process works as well as possible, we would like to hear from you about any worries or concerns you might have about the changes. We also want to give people the chance to tell us about things we should consider, and to ask any questions you might have.