Advice to the family and those important to the deceased:
Last Updated: Friday, 13 June 2025The GP will sign the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) and send this to the Medical Examiner's office.
The Medical Examiner has five days to scrutinise the cause of death and may contact the family to give them the opportunity to ask any questions and confirm the cause of death before countersigning the MCCD certificate.
The Medical Examiner sends the certificate to the local registry office who will contact the family to come in and register the death.
The family should wait to receive the death certificate before booking a funeral with a funeral director in case there is further examination required by the coroner. Please refer family to 'What to do when someone dies: step by step' - GOV.UK