Service Information

Death Certification and the Process

Community Deaths

If your loved one passed within the community the process of registering a death changed in April 2023. A Government Mandate set out a new law that all deaths will need to be inspected by a Medical Examiner.

Your loved one’s GP sends a referral to the Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO).

The Medical Examiner is an independent doctor. The Medical Examiner checks the MCCD, and accepts the cause of death. The Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) will then contact you and explain the process for registering the death if no concerns have been raised.

This has always been the process for deaths which occur within hospital settings.

Inpatient Deaths

If your loved one passed away in a Trust facility, the Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) will contact you within 24 hours of receiving notice of your loved one passing. They will explain the process surrounding obtaining a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and give you the opportunity to raise any concerns.

The doctor who last attended your loved one must go to the MEO before the MCCD is completed. The MCCD is then checked by the Medical Examiner (an independent doctor) to ensure that the cause of death is accepted.

The Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) will then contact you and explain the process for registering the death if no concerns have been raised.

There is no delay in appointing a funeral director of your choice. We advise you to appoint one as soon as possible so that once the MCCD has been completed; we can transfer your loved one to them.
Please do not make an appointment at the Registry Office until you have been notified by the MEO Office that the MCCD has been completed.

If you need anything at all, please contact us at the Medical Examiner’s Office.