Contact Medical Examiner Service

For general queries, please contact: Medicalexaminerservice@wales.nhs.uk please do not use this email to send case details or notifications to the service, please contact your local hub below;

You can also write to;

Companies House

Alder House

Office Locations

Please use these email addresses to notify or correspond with the team in relation to a case.

Telephone access between: 09:00 – 16:00 Monday to Friday
Response from Email/ QR code: 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Sunday

Important Notice - We undertake a high volume of calls to bereaved families as a result we are not always available to answer calls into the service immediately. To reduce your waiting time on the telephone and ensure we can respond to your queries as efficiently as possible, we kindly request that you E-mail your local hub and a member of our team dealing with your case will get back to you as soon as possible. For clinicians notifying us of a death, we encourage you to use the QR Codes provided. This method ensures that your notification is received and processed promptly.

North Wales - Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Email: Northwales.medicalexaminersoffice@wales.nhs.uk

Telephone: 029215 00699

Mid & West Wales - Swansea Bay University Health Board & Hywel Dda University Health Board

Email: midandwestwales.medicalexaminersoffice@wales.nhs.uk

Telephone: 02921500499

South Wales East - Aneurin Bevan University Health Board & Powys Teaching Health Board

Email: southwaleseast.medicalexaminersoffice@wales.nhs.uk

Telephone: 029215 00799

South Wales Central - Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board & Cardiff & Vale University Health Board

Email: southwalescentral.medicalexaminersoffice@wales.nhs.uk

Telephone: 029215 00599

Responsible Officers

Dr Jason Shannon - Lead Medical Examiner for Wales

Email: Jason.Shannon2@wales.nhs.uk

Daisy Shale - Lead Medical Examiner Officer for Wales

Email: daisy.shale@wales.nhs.uk

FAQs

How long does the process take?

Based on the scrutiny process the Medical Examiner will agree a cause of death with the doctor who has been involved in the care of the person who has died (the Qualified Attending Practitioner) to allow the death to be registered with the Registry Office.

The Medical Examiner’s scrutiny process commences when we receive the medical records, a proposed cause of death from the clinical team, and the contact details for the family. The scrutiny process will take between 24 and 72 hours and the next of kin will be contacted during this time.

Once the completed MCCD has been received from the attending practitioner, the ME will check it has been completed in line with the current regulations and countersign the MCCD, we will then send this to the register office - the register office will then contact the family to arrange an appointment to register the death over the following 5 days

In a small minority of cases it may not be possible to meet this timeframe (if it has been identified that further investigation by the coroner is required and that this will require access to the body for example), but every effort will be made to ensure that any delay is kept as short as possible and that the requirements of the faith and the bereaved are met.

How is the Service accessed?

In general terms there is no need to contact the Medical Examiner Service directly as a Medical Examiner Officer will contact the relevant individuals, such as the Qualified Attending Practitioner and the Next of Kin recorded in the records of the person who has died. However if you would like to speak to the team please contact them using the details at the end of the page.

Any concerns raised by the bereaved will be considered by the Medical Examiner undertaking the review and any findings or outcomes will be discussed with the bereaved by the Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer when the scrutiny is complete. If the Medical Examiner feels that there were issues with care or events revealed through scrutiny of the clinical notes or from discussion with the Qualified Attending Practitioner (a doctor, on behalf of the clinical team that treated the patient before they died) this will be fed back to the Next of Kin and the relevant care organisation for further action.

The Medical Examiner Service does not undertake further investigation of cases where concerns have been identified, this is the responsibility of the care organisation concerned.

Roles within the Medical Examiner Service

The Medical Examiner Service for Wales reviews clinical records and interacts with qualified attending practitioners and the bereaved to address three key questions:

What did the person die from? (Ensuring accuracy of the medical certificate of cause of death)
Does the death need to be reported to a coroner? (Ensuring timely and accurate referral – there are national requirements)
Are there any clinical governance concerns? (Ensuring the relevant notification is made where appropriate)

In undertaking this function, the Service employs two main roles:

Medical Examiners

Medical Examiners undertake the three stage scrutiny process on all deaths not reported directly to a Coroner.

Through a proportionate scrutiny of the clinical notes, discussions with the Qualified Attending Practitioner, on behalf of the clinical team that treated the patent before death, and discussions with the bereaved, they verify clinical information on Medical Certificates of Cause of Death and ensure that referrals are made to the Coroner or to the appropriate care organisation for further investigation where appropriate.

The Medical Examiner may delegate authority to Medical Examiner Officers to liaise with clinical teams and the bereaved as part of the scrutiny process, but they remain accountable for completion of the necessary steps required for compliance with all legislation related to death certification and allied processes.

Who can be a Medical Examiner?

Any practising, or recently retired, medical practitioner who has been fully registered for at least five years and has a licence to practise with the General Medical Council (GMC) can apply to be a Medical Examiner. The National Medical Examiner recommends that Medical Examiners should be consultant grade doctors or GPs with an equivalent level of experience who have completed the Royal College of Pathology Medical Examiner Training Modules. Non-medics cannot perform the role of the Medical Examiner.

The Medical Examiner Service for Wales also evaluates on going practice via a specifically developed Medical Examiner Competence Framework.

It is typical for Medical Examiners to work a fixed number of sessions per week and although the number of sessions contracted is flexible most Medical Examiners tend to undertake between 1 and 3 sessions per week.

Get in Touch

If you have a query for our Medical Examiner Service. Please contact us below.

Please do not use this mailbox if you are sending or requesting information relating to the scrutiny of the deceased, please contact your local hub.