Notification of Deaths Regulations Guidance 2019 (Revised)07/04/2020

Notification of Deaths Regulations Guidance 2019 (Revised)

In October last year new regulations came into force placing a duty on medical practitioners to notify the coroner of a death in certain specified circumstances.

The Coronavirus Act 2020 has provided for minor changes to how the duty on medical practitioners to notify a death to the coroner works. These duties are laid out in the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 and the MoJ has now issued revised guidance at:   

http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notification-of-deaths-regulations-2019-guidance

The changes came into effect on 26th March and the revised guidance is in force until further notice. The changes relate only to the duty to notify the death where there is no doctor able to and available to issue a medical certificate cause of death (MCCD).

The revised guidance is easily distinguishable with pink covers and sections highlighting changes from the previous blue covered guidance. The blue covered guidance should not be used.