Changes to the death registration process from 9 September 2024
A new statutory medical examiner system is being rolled out across England and Wales to provide independent scrutiny of deaths, and to give bereaved people a voice.
From 9 September 2024 all deaths in any health setting that are not investigated by a coroner will be reviewed by NHS medical examiners.
The changes, which form part of the Department of Health’s Death Certification Reforms, were announced by the government on 15 April 2024, and come into force on 9 September 2024.
As part of the changes, there will be a new medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD).
From 9 September 2024, medical practitioners will be able to complete an MCCD if they attended the deceased in their lifetime.
This represents a simplification of the current rules, which before 9 September require referral of the case to a coroner for review if the medical practitioner had not seen the patient within the 28 days prior to death or had not seen in person the patient after death.
Medical examiners
Medical examiners are senior medical doctors who are contracted for a number of sessions a week to provide independent scrutiny of the causes of death, outside their usual clinical duties.
They are trained in the legal and clinical elements of death certification processes.
The purpose of the medical examiner system is to:
- provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring independent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths
- ensure the appropriate direction of deaths to the coroner
- provide a better service for the bereaved and an opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a doctor not involved in the care of the deceased
- improve the quality of death certification
- improve the quality of mortality data
What these changes mean for you
- Terminology change from medical practitioner of doctor to Attending practitioner (AP).
- The AP will forward the completed MCCD to the Medical Examiner (ME) who will scrutinise the MCCD.
- The ME will contact representatives of the deceased and discuss the cause of death with them and establish if they have questions or any concerns with care before death.
- The MCCD will then be sent to the registrar by the medical examiner rather than the attending practitioner. The Registrar will then contact you to arrange the appointment for the registration of the death.
- Informants –additional qualified informant categories, those who can register a death have been introduced – these are the partner of the deceased and personal representative of the deceased.
Contact us at registration1@havering.gov.uk if you require more help with this.
To register a death in Havering the death must have taken place in the borough.
Please ensure that you have been informed by the Medical Examiner that you can book your appointment.
The death must be registered within 5 days of the Medical Examiner contacting you, unless the death has been referred to the Coroner.
You can only register a death in person, by appointment. We do not offer a walk-in service for death registrations.
When you register a death you need to purchase a death certificate. Death certificates cost £12.50 each and must be paid for in advance when you book your appointment. You will receive the certificates at the end of your appointment.
What happens at the death registration appointment?
The appointment should last about 40 minutes.
You will be asked to provide details about the person who has passed away. This will include:
- the person’s full name at the time of death
- any names previously used, eg maiden name
- the person’s date and place of birth
- their last address
- their occupation
- the full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving or late spouse or civil partner
- whether they were getting a State Pension or any other benefits
Appointments to register a death take place at either of these locations.
Langtons House, Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1XJ
Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford, RM1 3BB (accessible office)
After your death registration appointment
The Green Form (Certificate for Burial or Cremation) will be electronically sent to your Funeral Director and Crematorium/Cemetery, please bring these details with you.
Should you require any further copies of the death certificate in the future you can apply online by visiting our copy certificates page.
Tell Us Once
Our Tell Us Once service will notify a number of different government departments and organisations of the death. To findout more visit our tell us Tell Us Once page.
If you use our Tell Us Once service our team will create a unique reference number and email you your unique reference number (if your email has been provided) along with instructions on how to use the service.
This will be done after the death registration appointment.
Book your appointment
Most people book their appointment in 10 minutes.
Please have your debit or credit card ready. American Express is not accepted.
After booking, you will receive an email containing the details of your appointment. If you provide a mobile number when booking, you will also receive text message reminders of your appointment.
Book an appointment to register a death
If you have any questions about the process please complete our online enquiry form.
We take calls on Sundays and bank holidays from 9am to 12noon.
The Medical Examiner (ME) will advise you when they have sent the Medical Cause of Death Certificate to registration1@havering.gov.uk along with the next of kin details for us to contact.
A registrar will need to check the certificate is correct and a Green Form can only be issued if everything is completed accordingly.
If all the paperwork is correct, we will scan and email it to the Funeral Director and burial / cremation authority.
The family will not be given the Medical Cause of Death.
An appointment will also be booked for the registration to be completed within 5 days of the Register Office receiving the paperwork.
To call on weekends please call 01708 433999.
Information and advice on deaths that occur outside the United kingdom can be found on the Gov.uk Website.
South Essex Crematorium are dedicated to providing top services and various options for burials, cremations and memorials.
If you registered a birth, death or marriage at our register offices, we may be able to correct minor mistakes such as occupation or parent's place of birth. For more information visit our certificate corrections page.
If you need to register a death that occurred in the United Kingdom but aren't sure what borough to contact you can use the Gov.uk local authority checker.