MDDUS is reminding doctors in England that they now have a formal legal duty to report certain deaths to the coroner, as set out in guidance issued in September 2019 by the Ministry of Justice.
The guidance provides the circumstances under which medical practitioners must notify the coroner’s office of a death.
A notification may have already been received by the coroner but such reports will not usually include the information required by the Notification of Death Regulations and may not provide the coroner with the full medical picture. Therefore, a medical practitioner should ordinarily still provide this information to the coroner.
MDDUS advisers will be happy to receive any queries that arise regarding this new legal duty.
Guidance for registered medical practitioners on the Notification of Deaths Regulations
This page was correct at the time of publication. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.