Death certification laws- 2024 Updates

Starting in September 2024, significant reforms to death certification laws in the UK will enhance the accuracy, quality, and scrutiny of mortality data. These updates aim to streamline the certification process while ensuring that key details about the cause of death are carefully reviewed and documented.

One of the central changes includes the addition of medical examiners who will independently review each Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), adding a level of verification to support attending practitioners and improve public health insights. The new MCCD format now has more detailed sections to record the chain of events leading to death and includes specific fields for information on ethnicity, maternal status, and any medical devices or implants.

These updates will impact clinical practice by improving the precision of death reporting, providing crucial data for national and local health analysis, and ensuring a supportive process for families during bereavement. The following outlines the main changes and their implications for healthcare providers in the UK.