Births, marriages, deaths and nationality When death occurs

If the Coroner does not need to be involved

What happens?

When a death is reported to the office, the report is given to the Coroner to decide on the next step.

In some cases, the Coroner will review the report and be satisfied that the person died of natural causes. They do not need to investigate any further and will give the hospital doctor or GP permission to issue the Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD). We will produce paperwork to let the Register Office know.

Relatives can then register the death at the Register Office just as they would if the doctor had issued the MCCD straight away.  Once this has been done, the funeral can take place.

The hospital Bereavement Office or your GP Surgery will contact you to let you know this has happened and how to register the death.

How long will it take?

We generally complete our inquiries very quickly in these cases.  If the death is reported before 9am, we will complete everything the same day.  If it is reported after that time, we will complete our work the same day if possible, or the following working day if not. Rarely there may be a short delay if we need to gather further information from doctors or track down a doctor who can issue the MCCD.  If this happens, we will keep you informed.

 

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