What is the Somerset Medical Examiner Service?

The Somerset Medical Examiners Service is part of a national system for reviewing deaths that occur in hospital and in our community.

The Medical Examiner is a senior doctor, who is independent and not involved in someone's care. The duty Medical Examiner will review the deceased person’s records alongside the doctor over-seeing their care to establish a cause of death prior to the issuing of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). Following this, the duty Medical Examiner or one of their trained Medical Examiner Officers, will contact the next of kin of the deceased. This step will ensure the accuracy of the cause of death and highlight any cause for concern regarding care which has been provided. This will give the next of kin the opportunity to discuss the care and treatment the person has received and share any feedback they may have. The Medical Examiner Officers are also able to answer any questions they may have on practical steps they need to follow in the days to come.

In some cases, the Medical Examiner or the responsible doctor may need to speak to the Coroner before the MCCD can be issued and the next of kin will be informed if this is the case, but this is not a usual occurrence. Once the MCCD has been issued the next of kin should make an appointment with the registrars office to register the person’s death. From there they can begin to plan the funeral.

Please find below the death reporting form, overview of the process and workflow charts