Guidance

Completing a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD)

Guidance notes for doctors covering issues doctors often ask about and clarifying best practice under current legislation.

From:
HM Passport Office
Published
25 September 2018
Last updated
25 March 2022 — See all updates

Documents

Guidance for doctors completing medical certificates of cause of death in England and Wales (accessible version)

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Guidance for doctors completing medical certificates of cause of death in England and Wales

PDF, 383 KB, 16 pages

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Details

When someone dies, a doctor involved in their care has to complete a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD), which is then forwarded to the register office to register the death. Books of MCCDs are available to doctors and hospitals from their local registrar. These books have short notes at the front on how to complete the MCCD and when to refer deaths to the coroner.

Published 25 September 2018
Last updated 25 March 2022 + show all updates

  1. Updated page and attachments to remove references to the Coronavirus Act 2020.

  2. Updated guidance notes

  3. Guidance updated to take into account arrangements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency and the changes brought in by the Coronavirus Act 2020.

  4. First published.

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