GovWire

What you need to know

The reforms to death certification and the introduction of medical examiners will start on 9 September 2024. As part of the changes, a new medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) will replace the current certificate.

Medical practitioners must use the new MCCD from 12:01am on 9 September 2024.

The Department of Health and Social Care will send the new MCCD to all organisations that use the current MCCD.

We have worked with local registration services to find out which organisations currently use MCCDs, but this list may be inaccurate or incomplete.

Check the MCCD distribution list

We have not updated this list since its publication.

If you have already contacted us, you do not need to do anything.

If you have not yet checked the list, you must check if your organisation is on the MCCD distribution list.

Contact us urgently to make sure you receive the new MCCD in time.

The new MCCD

There are 4 versions of the new MCCD:

• attending practitioner MCCD (books of 50)
• attending practitioner MCCD to certify the cause of death of a live-born child dying within the first 28 days of life (books of 25)
• medical examiner MCCD (books of 50)
• medical examiner MCCD to certify the cause of death of a live-born child dying within the first 28 days of life (books of 25)

Organisations that use the current MCCD will receive the attending practitioner MCCD. Hospitals will also receive the attending practitioner MCCD to certify the cause of death of a live-born child dying within the first 28 days of life.

Medical examiner offices will receive both of the medical examiner MCCDs.

See more information about the changes to the death certification process.

Receiving the MCCD

DHSC will send organisations that use the current MCCD:

1. A 6-month allocation of MCCDs.
2. Guidance on how to order additional MCCDs (if the first allocation will not last 6 months).
3. A unique passcode for ordering additional MCCDs.

These will be sent as 3 separate deliveries and each one will need to be signed for by the receiving organisation.

If no one at the organisation is available to sign for a delivery, the courier will try to deliver again on 2 further occasions. If you have 3 unsuccessful deliveries for any item, you should email mccd@dhsc.gov.uk.

Each item will be sent to a named person if we have this information. If not, they will be marked for the attention of:

• the practice manager, if the organisation is a GP practice
• the medical director, if the organisation is a hospital
• the manager, if the organisation is a hospice
• the medical examiner, if the organisation is a medical examiner office

Each organisation should receive enough MCCDs to last from September 2024 to February 2025.

A further 6-month allocation will be delivered in autumn 2024. Some organisations will not receive this if we estimate that the first allocation will last 12 months.

After 31 July 2024

Organisations on the published distribution list should have received the MCCDs, guidance and passcode by 31 July 2024.

Email mccd@dhsc.gov.uk urgently if your organisation is on the published distribution list and has not received all 3 items.

From 1 August 2024, DHSC will start sending MCCDs to:

• organisations that were not on the published distribution list but contacted DHSC and asked to be added
• organisations that have ordered additional supplies

Completing the MCCD

Well publish updated guidance for 9 September on how to complete and send the MCCD.

Current MCCDs

You should continue to use the current MCCDs until 9 September 2024. At 12.01am on 9 September 2024, the MCCD booklets currently in use in England and Wales will become obsolete.You will get further information on what to do with obsolete MCCDs with your new MCCD booklets.