New measures to help protect the public and support bereaved families will be introduced in a revamp of how deaths are certified.
Medical examiners will strengthen safeguards by scrutinising how people have died prior to registration and make sure the right deaths are referred to coroners. The reforms to certification have widespread support from medical practitioners, coroners and registrars and have been agreed in partnership with them.
Medical examiners will:
- seek to confirm the proposed cause of death by the medical doctor and the overall accuracy of the medical certificate of cause of death
- discuss the proposed cause of death with those bereaved and establish if they have questions or any concerns relating to their loved one
- support appropriate referrals to senior coroners
- identify cases for further review to ensure best practice
Minister Maria Caulfield said: "It has taken time to get this right, but it was vital we had the backing of all involved in the process in order to make sure it protects people and supports bereaved families in the way they deserve. Although abuse of the system is rare, what we are announcing will be a significant step in preventing failures in the future.
"I want to thank all those involved in the process - from medical professionals, to coroners, to registrars - for helping this government fulfil its promise of introducing a safer system of death certification."
These reforms to death certification will include changes to practices for multiple professions such as medical practitioners, coroners and registrars, as well as all those involved in the process of officially certifying the deceased. As of September 2023, medical examiners have already reviewed 640,000 deaths in hospital trusts since 2019.
These reforms will apply to all deaths not investigated by a coroner in other locations and put this on a statutory footing. NHS trusts will host medical examiners with 126 offices in England. Draft regulations and communications have been published to help medical practitioners, local registration services, coroners and the public understand how the new legal requirements will work, and will help ensure frontline services are ready.
Legislation will be laid in early 2024 and from April 2024 the new statutory regulations will come into force in England and Wales.
National Medical Examiner Dr Alan Fletcher said: "The NHS is pleased the government is putting the work of medical examiners delivering independent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths in England and Wales on a statutory footing in April 2024.
"As the medical examiner system lead, I have witnessed the care medical examiners take to support bereaved people, increase safeguards and identify opportunities to improve care. Medical examiners ensure that if bereaved people have concerns after their loss, these can be raised as easily as possible, which is why it is great to see this progress towards a comprehensive system."
