Impact of the new medical examiner role on patient safety

Current system for examining deaths in England and Wales

A registered medical practitioner who has attended the dead person before death must complete a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) to the best of their knowledge and belief. If the cause of death is unknown or the death is thought to be unnatural in any way, the death must be referred to a coroner, who is an independent judicial officer with legislated powers. There is no second check of the cause or circumstances of death unless the body is to be cremated. The National Mortality Case Record Review programme aims to introduce a standardised method for reviewing case records of adults who have died in acute general hospitals in England and Scotland, but this detailed review is likely to be feasible for only a proportion of hospital deaths.