Starting from 9 September 2024, the Medical Examiner Service (MES) will be rolled out across Birmingham and Solihull, as part of a nationwide initiative in England and Wales.

This new statutory service is being introduced to provide independent scrutiny of deaths and to ensure that bereaved families have a voice in the process. All deaths that occur in any healthcare setting and are not subject to a coroner's investigation will now be reviewed by NHS Medical Examiners.

As part of the Department of Health’s Death Certification Reforms, significant changes are being implemented to streamline the process of death certification:

  • New Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD): From 9 September 2024, medical practitioners can complete an MCCD if they have attended the deceased at any point in their lifetime. This simplifies the previous rule, which required a coroner's review if the practitioner had not seen the patient within the last 28 days before death or after death in person.
  • No More Additional Paperwork for Cremation: The new MCCD eliminates the need for extra forms for patients undergoing cremation.
  • Mandatory Review by Medical Examiners: The new MCCD will require a signature from a Medical Examiner to confirm that the cause of death is agreed upon and that appropriate scrutiny of the circumstances and care provided has been completed.

From 9 September 2024, GPs and other healthcare practitioners will no longer issue MCCDs (death certificates) directly to the Registrar's Office without first consulting the Medical Examiner Service. This change is a legal requirement to ensure a consistent and thorough review process for all deaths.

Resources

To help healthcare teams navigate these changes smoothly, the GP Provider Support Unit and University Hospitals Birmingham's Medical Examiner Service (MES) team have co-produced several useful resources:

  • Medical Examiner Service Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for primary care - A guide to understand the new procedures, includings how to generate and edit an MES notification report in EMIS and SystmOne.
  • MES reporting summary instructions for SystmOne.
  • Information on Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) ordering - Learn more about the new process for ordering MCCDs.
  • A patient information leaflet.
  • Video 'how to' guides, with step-by-step instructions for accessing MES templates in EMIS and SystmOne.

These resources are available to ensure all NHS staff are well-prepared for the transition to the new Medical Examiner Service.

Medical Examiner Service 'how to' guide for EMIS practices.
Medical Examiner Service 'how to' guide for SystmOne practices.