In April 2019, the introduction of a non-statutory medical examiner system began and today, each acute trust has an established Medical Examiner Office. The purpose of our office is to work independently from the hospital, to examine deaths and agree the proposed cause of death and ensure accuracy of the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) with the doctor completing it. This is done by Medical Examiners who are senior medical doctors who have been trained and certified by the Royal College of Pathologists. This will:
- Provide safeguards for the public by ensuring proper scrutiny of all deaths.
- Ensure the appropriate direction of deaths to the coroner.
- Provide the bereaved with a quality service and opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a doctor not involved in the care of the deceased.
- Ensure more accurate mortality data.
- Improve the quality of death certification.
We work closely with:
- Bereaved families
- Our bereavement office
- All hospital staff
- Hospital Mortuary
- Coroner Office
- Registry Office
- GP’s
- Funeral directors
- Local faith communities
- Local Communities
- Crematorium
- Other agencies such as the Ambulance service and Police.