Medical Examiner Service for Deaths in the Community
May 2025
Following the death of someone important to you, the death will be referred to a Medical Examiner.
Medical Examiners are senior doctors who have received specialist training and alongside other trained staff, their job is to provide an independent review of the causes of death – with the exception of deaths which have to be reviewed by a Coroner.
The Medical Examiners ensure that all deaths are reviewed by someone who is independent and who was not involved in the patient’s care. The Medical Examiner will work with the treating doctor (such as the GP or specialist doctor) to ensure that the information given on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is correct and that referrals to the Coroner are made (if needed) as soon as possible.
Medical Examiners and their staff (called Medical Examiner Officers) offer families and carers a chance to ask questions or raise concerns about the cause of death or about the care they received before their death. This will usually be completed over the telephone.
A key role of the Medical Examiner is to make it easier for the bereaved to understand the Medical Certificate which explains the cause of death. Medical Examiners also look at medical records and discuss the causes of death with the doctor filling in the Medical Certificate.
The Medical Examiner service will provide an independent view and they will only review cases where they, or their staff, have not provided care for the patient.
The Medical Examiner will contact the next of kin and explain the process and will discuss the death certificate with you. The death certificate is therefore no longer issued by the GP and so there is nothing to collect from the GP surgery.
For more information on the Medical Examiner service please view or download this leaflet:
Medical Examiner Service Information for relatives