Medical examiners service

Medical examiners are senior NHS doctors who, after completing specialist training, work part time in this role. Their job is to give an independent view on causes of death and the care provided (except for deaths which must be investigated by a coroner).

Medical examiners and their staff (usually called medical examiner officers) offer families and carers of the person who died an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns about the causes of death, or about the care the person received before their death. This will usually be through a telephone call, or sometimes a meeting. They can explain what medical language means and make it easier to understand what happened. Medical examiners also look at relevant medical records and discuss the causes of death with the doctor who is completing the official form, known as the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death or MCCD.

You can be confident that medical examiners and medical examiner officers will provide an independent view.

Coroner investigations

Some deaths are notified to a coroner, who may decide to carry out their own independent investigation. This link explains more about coroners and the types of deaths they investigate:

Notification of deaths regulations 2019 guidance

You can also request information in other formats by emailing the Ministry of Justice at [email protected]. The medical examiner may sometimes give the coroner medical advice in these cases, but coroners lead these investigations.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will be able to support you if coroner involvement is required.

Speaking with the medical examiner about your concerns

You may be asked if you would like to have a conversation with an independent, specially trained person – the medical examiner or a medical examiner officer – about anything that may be worrying you about how the person who died was cared for. You may simply want to better understand why the person died, including by having medical terminology explained, or you may want to raise something about the care which did not feel right or ideal. This is your opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.

Medical examiners and medical examiner officers will discuss your feedback, questions, and concerns. If they consider any issues with care need further investigation, they will refer these to someone who can do this work.

As well as answering your questions, talking to a medical examiner helps the NHS provider better care for other patients and carers in future; for example, by identifying ways in which patient and family care could be improved.

Appointing an alternate contact for the medical examiner

If you find it challenging to communicate directly with the medical examiner, you have the option to appoint someone else as your point of contact. The Medical Examiner service may contact you to ask who you would like them to talk to instead, or you can let the medical team know if you would rather appoint someone else as a point of contact. The Medical Examiner service will usually contact you by phone however, they can make other arrangement if you let them know.

Questions you might be asked

The medical examiner or medical examiner officer will explain what is written on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and why, and check if you have any questions or concerns. Causes of death often use medical terminology, which can be confusing, so please ask as many questions as you need. In some cases, the team may not be able to answer your questions immediately, but they will endeavour to get back to you.

They will also discuss the medical examiner’s review and ask if you have any concerns or questions about the care the person received before their death. This is the best time for you to raise anything that concerns you.

The medical examiner service can advise you of sources of support and information to help you through this difficult time.

Choosing not to communicate with the medical examiner

We understand this is likely to be a difficult time for you and it is your choice whether you talk to a medical examiner or not. If you are not sure, you can contact the local medical examiner or medical examiner officer on the contact details below and ask for more information before deciding if you want to go ahead – they are trained to help bereaved people and will be very understanding.

Medical examiners and medical examiner officers provide an independent view, so if you can, we encourage you to talk to them. They can explain things to you and are specially trained to answer your questions. If medical examiners find any potential issues, they will be able to raise these with the people who were responsible for the care of the person who died or refer the issues to someone who can investigate further. Talking to the medical examiner and medical examiner officer can help improve the care the NHS provides to other patients and carers in future.

What happens if something was not right

The medical examiner and medical examiner officer are here to listen to your concerns and answer your questions and, if necessary, contact someone who can investigate further.

Medical examiners will not investigate further themselves, as they must complete their work in the time before the death has to be registered by law.

Impact on funeral plans and body release timelines

Medical examiners make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families and carers of the person who died to meet the legal requirements for registering deaths. Medical examiners and medical examiner officers will try to be flexible, for example where relatives would like the body to be released quickly.

Raising questions or concerns about the medical examiner process

If you are not satisfied with the medical examiner’s advice, please first discuss this with staff in the medical examiner’s office.

Contacting the medical examiner office

You can contact your local medical examiner office here:

Basildon

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01268 394736 / 593158
Address: Basildon Hospital, Nethermayne, Basildon, Essex, SS16 5NL

Chelmsford (Broomfield)

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01245 362000 ext. 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Address: Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7ET