There is a lot to do and think about when a patient dies. Remember to ensure other healthcare professionals involved in the patient's care are informed as soon as possible.
Information for families immediately after a death at home
Funeral directors will not collect a body from a patient's home until death has been confirmed/verified
It is a legal requirement to register the death within 5 days unless the case has been referred to the coroner
The process of registering a death has to take place face to face in the local Register Office
Information about bereavement may be helpful
Death verification
Any trained healthcare professional can verify a death
There has been a focus on training nurses to verify death. Up to date guidance is available here
Death certification
The law changed on September 9th 2024 -
Now, ANY doctor who has attended the patient WITHIN THEIR LIFETIME can complete an MCCD if they can establish the cause of death to the best of their knowledge, and the death is not required to be notified to the coroner.
The patient does NOT need to have been seen by the certifying doctor in the previous 28 days, as previously required, but at some stage in their lifetime.
The MCCD form has changed - summarised in this table
The proposed cause of death and MCCD will then be scrutinised by the Medical Examiner team
Medical Examiner process
This a new system to scrutinise the cause of death - it became law for ALL community deaths on September 9th 2024
Once the Medical Examiner has agreed the cause of death with the certifying doctor, they will offer a conversation with the family to explain this and hear any concerns. They will then send the MCCD to the Registrar and the family can book an appointment to formally register the death
The death has to be registered within 5 days of the Registrar receiving the MCCD from the Medical Examiner
Detailed information about rationale and process is here
Cremation forms
Since the change of law on September 9th, these will no longer be required to be completed
Once the Medical Examiner has agreed the cause of death, and the death has been registered, the funeral director will be informed regarding the approval for cremation, without the need for an extra cremation form
The new MCCDs ask for information about implanted devices