Further information

The medical examiner or their staff will explain what is written on the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD), what it means and will ask you if you have any questions or concerns about the care the person received before their death.

This is the best time for you to raise questions and speak about anything that concerns you.

Medical Examiners are independent and a discussion with them or their staff is a chance to have an open conversation and address any concerns with someone who was not involved in providing care to the person who died.

It could be as simple as helping you to understand more about the treatment and cause/s of death or to understand the medical language used. There may be something about the care which you think did not feel right – this is an opportunity to ask questions.

The medical examiner will provide an independent view of causes of death and the care provided. If they find issues with care that need further investigation, they will either refer these on or advise you how you can raise these concerns yourself.

As well as answering your questions, this can help us to provide better care for patients, their families, and carers by recognising ways in which care can be improved in the future.

Yes, the medical examiner or their staff may contact you to ask who you would like them to talk to instead or you can let your GP practice team know if you would rather appoint someone else as a first point of contact.

Medical examiners are independent, so please speak to them or their staff, if possible. They will help explain things to you and are specially trained to answer your questions.

However, we understand this is a difficult time for many people and so speaking to someone is completely your choice. If you are not sure, please talk to them first before deciding. They can give you more information which will help you decide if you want to go ahead – they are specially trained to help people during difficult times and will be very understanding and supportive of your wishes.

If medical examiners find any potential issues, they will be able to raise these with people responsible for the care of the person who died or refer the issues on to someone who can investigate further.

Speaking with the medical examiner and medical examiner officers can help improve the care provided by the NHS to other patients and carers in future.

The medical examiner and medical examiner officers are here to listen to your questions and concerns, provide answers if possible and, if necessary, pass them on to someone who can investigate further.

Medical examiners are working closely with GPs and other community-based health care professionals to make sure the new arrangement goes as smoothly as possible. They are also working with coroners and registrar offices to organise out of hours service arrangements.

If the medical examiner needs more information before they can confirm the cause of death, there may be a short delay before the MCCD can be issued and sent to the registrars’ office. This may also be the case during particularly busy periods such as after bank holidays. However, they will do all they can to make sure the MCCD is issued as quickly as possible and will keep the bereaved family updated