Medical Examiners are senior doctors who have received specialist training to work part time in this role. Their job is to provide independent scrutiny of the circumstances and causes of a person’s death, except for deaths which have to be investigated by a Coroner. They do this by reviewing relevant medical records and discussing the cause of death with an attending practitioner (a doctor involved in the care).
Medical Examiners are supported by a team of Medical Examiner Officers, who support the process and administration of all legal paperwork. Although the service is hosted by the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and the team are based within the hospital Bereavement Centre, you can be confident the Medical Examiner’s team work independently and will never look into the causes of death for a person they provided care for.
The Medical Examiner’s team offer families and carers of the person who has died an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns about the cause of death. This will usually be through a telephone call, but the Medical Examiner can arrange other ways of communicating with you (such as by email). If you would prefer, you can nominate another person such as a relative or friend to talk to the team on your behalf.
You will usually be contacted by telephone, but the Medical Examiner can arrange other ways of communicating with you (such as by email). If you would prefer, you can nominate another person such as a relative or friend to talk to the Medical Examiner on your behalf.