Buckinghamshire medical examiner service

Important information for families following a bereavement in the community

What is the Medical Examiner Service?

There is a legal requirement for all deaths in England and Wales to be reviewed either by a Medical Examiner or a Coroner before paperwork can be issued and a death registered. Most deaths will be managed by the Medical Examiner Service.

Medical Examiners (MEs) and Medical Examiner Officers (MEOs) are now available to provide support for bereaved families and help improve future care. Medical Examiners are senior doctors from a range of specialities including general practice. They provide advice regarding the cause of death and independent scrutiny of the care of the deceased. They are supported by a team of Medical Examiner Officers. All staff are trained by the Royal College of Pathologists, in the legal and clinical aspects of death certification.

The Medical Examiner will only review cases where they have NOT been involved in the patient’s care, which allows them to maintain complete independence. Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers look at the relevant medical records and discuss the causes of death with the doctor completing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (sometimes referred to as the MCCD or death certificate).

When and why are you being contacted?

You will be contacted by one of our team once we receive the referral from your GP practice. This will be to offer you an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation with someone who was not involved in providing care to the person who has died. It could be as simple as helping you understand more about the treatment and causes of death, or to explain the medical terminology used.

This is your opportunity to ask questions and raise any concerns you may have. It will allow the Medical Examiner service to identify areas where care might be improved or highlight areas where care has been excellent and allow feedback to the services involved.

What will happen if any concerns are raised?

The Medical Examiner and their team are available to listen to your questions, concerns and if possible, provide answers, or can signpost you to others who may be able to help. If during the review of the notes and the discussion with you anything requires looking into further, this will be fed back to the relevant teams. This can help provide better care for other patients and families in the future.

What if you do not wish to speak to the Medical Examiner or their team?

We understand this can be a difficult time for many people. Speaking to someone is completely your choice. The Medical Examiner team are trained professionals who can guide and help you during this time. If you prefer them to speak with someone else in your family this is acceptable, and the Medical Examiner team will be very understanding of your wishes.

Will the service delay the funeral arrangements?

Medical examiners make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families to enable death registration in a timely manner. Deaths cannot be registered until the medical examiners process has taken place.  Each case will be dealt with individually and when necessary, the team will support families with a request for the urgent release of their relative.

Medical Examiners are an independent service led by NHS England, hosted by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.