Medical Examiners service

The Mid and South Essex Medical Examiner service deal with all deaths that occur within Basildon and Thurrock, Chelmsford, Southend and their  surrounding areas. 

The Medical Examiner service has been introduced in England and Wales to increase understanding and give peace of mind to families, as well as improve learning and patient safety by providing a review of care. 

Following regulations laid in Parliament in April 2024, the Death Certification Reforms come into force on 9 September 2024. From this date, all deaths in England and Wales will be independently reviewed, either by a coroner where they have a duty to investigate, or by a medical examiner.

The medical examiner system has been designed to:

  • Provide bereaved families with greater transparency and opportunities to raise concerns.
  • Improve the quality and accuracy of medical certification of cause of death. 
  • Make sure that deaths are notified to coroner where appropriate.  
  • Support local learning and improvement by identifying matters that require escalation to local clinical governance and other processes. 
  • Provide the public with greater safeguards through improved and consistent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths.
  • Align with and inform existing clinical governance processes.

How we care for a patient after they pass

The Medical Examiner will review the patient's medical records and discuss the care with the medical team who were looking after the deceased. This is to make sure that when completing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), the document accurately reflects the details of the cause of death. The MCCD is completed by the team that cared for your loved one.

We will discuss the cause of death with the next of kin - you will be asked if it is what you expected and if you need any explanation.

Causes of death often use medical terminology, which can be confusing, so please ask as many questions as you need or raise any concerns in relation to your loved one’s death.

In some cases, the team may not be able to answer your questions immediately, but we will endeavour to get back to you.

We will also be able to advise you of additional sources of support and information to help you through this difficult time.

Who are we?

Medical Examiners are senior NHS doctors, who are independent of the healthcare professionals who looked after the deceased,  they:

  • advise on whether the law requires the coroner to be informed about a death
  • advise doctors on how best to certify the cause of death
  • identify situations, where aspects of healthcare could have been better and make suggestions for improvements in the future.

Medical Examiner Officers are trained staff who work alongside Medical Examiners.

Last published

Informing the Coroner

In some situations, the death is discussed with the Coroner’s Office. By law, some deaths must be reported and then investigated by the coroner.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will be able to support you if coroner involvement is required.

Why am I being asked if I have any concerns?

As part of the process, you will have a discussion with a medical examiner or officer.

This will give you the opportunity to have an open and honest conversation and address any concerns with someone who was not involved in providing care to the person who died.

It could be as simple as helping you to understand more about the treatment and cause/s of death or to understand the medical language used. There may be something about the care, which you think did not feel was right - this is an opportunity to ask questions.

As well as answering your questions, this can help us to learn and provide better care for patients, their families, and carers by recognising ways in which care can be improved in the future.

What will I be asked when the Medical Examiner’s Office contact me?

They will discuss with you the care the person received before their death.

This is the best time for you to raise questions and speak about anything that concerns you and to ask further questions if you wish to do so. If we cannot provide answers, they will pass them on to someone who can investigate further.

What if I don't want to speak to the Medical Examiner?

Medical examiners are independent, so we would like you to speak to them or their staff, if possible.  They will help explain things to you and are trained to answer your questions.

However, we understand this is a challenging time for many people and so speaking to someone is completely your choice. If you are not sure, you can contact your local Medical examiner's office on the contact details given below.

They can give you more information, which may help you decide if you wish to speak with the Medical Examiner service, they are trained to help people during tough times and will be very understanding and supportive.

Will funeral plans or release of the body take longer?

We make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families and carers of the person who died to meet the legal requirements for registering deaths.

Each case will be dealt with individually and, when possible, we will try to give priority to those where relatives need urgent release of the deceased, whilst ensuring due process is undertaken.

Can someone else speak to the Medical Examiner on my behalf?

Yes, the Medical Examiner service may contact you to ask who you would like us to talk to instead, or you can let the medical team know if you would rather appoint someone else as a point of contact. The Medical Examiner service will usually contact you by phone however, we can make other arrangements if you let us know.

Contact us and where to find us

If you need to contact the Medical Examiner Office by phone, please call us on 0300 443 0364 and select the relevant office.

Basildon

Email - mse.basildon.meoffice@nhs.net

Address - Basildon Hospital, Nethermayne, Basildon, Essex, SS16 5NL.

Broomfield

Email - mse.broomfield.meoffice@nhs.net 

Address - Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7ET.

Southend

Email - mse.southend.meoffice@nhs.net

Address - Southend Hospital, Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0RY.

(For any other offices located within the East of England please follow this link NHS England » Medical examiner offices.)