How to obtain a death certificate
This topic covers off the following themes:
About the coroner
A coroner is an official who holds inquests into violent, sudden or suspicious deaths. The coroner may conduct or order an inquest into the cause of death of a person and investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner’s jurisdiction. A coroner is completely independent and appointed directly by the Crown.
There are no coroner inquests in Scotland. Instead, the procurator fiscal receives notification of sudden or unexpected deaths. The Fatal Accident Inquiries will deal with these deaths.
Coroner's inquests
A coroner will conduct a post-mortem on the body of the deceased. If the cause of death is still unknown after the post-mortem, the coroner will hold an inquest. An inquest is typically held when the cause of death is sudden, unexplained, violent or ‘unnatural’. This is a legal investigation, typically held in a court but can also be held in other public places.
During the inquest, a coroner must establish who the deceased was, how they died, when they died and where the death occurred. The coroner does not need to establish why the death occurred.
Obtaining a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death when a coroner is not involved
When a coroner is not required, the responsibility will fall on the doctor to produce a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is an official record of the cause of someone’s death. This will be either at the hospital where the person died or called to the place of death i.e. the home, to write the certificate. The doctor will explain what is on the certificate before it is given over in a sealed envelope.
A formal notice will be given to you along with the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. This notice confirms the certificate has been signed and details a list of people who are entitled to register the death and the information needed to do this.
Obtaining a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death when a coroner is involved
When a coroner is involved following a death, there are different forms and certificates involved. A doctor may report the death of a person to a coroner if:
The cause of death is unknown
The death was violent and unnatural
The death was sudden and unexplained
The person who died was not visited by a medical practitioner during their final illness
The medical certificate is not available
The person who died was not seen by the doctor who signed the medical certificate within 14 days before death or after they died
The death occurred during an operation or before the person came out of the anaesthetic
The medical certificate suggests the death may have been caused by an industrial disease or industrial poisoning
The coroner may decide to conduct a post-mortem to confirm exactly how a person died. Once the coroner has conducted all processes deemed necessary, they will release the body for a funeral and send the ‘Pink Form - Form 100B’ to the registrar stating the cause of death. The coroner will also send a ‘Certificate of Coroner – form Cremation 6’ if the body is to be cremated.
Post-mortem examination
A post-mortem examination, otherwise known as an autopsy, is an examination of a body after death with the purpose of determining the cause of death. Post-mortem examinations are typically conducted by pathologists. A pathologist is a doctor specialising in the understanding of the nature and causes of disease.
A post-mortem examination is conducted when requested by a coroner because the cause of death is sudden, unexplained, violent or ‘unnatural’. A post-mortem examination can also be requested by a hospital doctor who wants to find out more about an illness or the cause of death, or to further medical research and understanding.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted quite quickly after a death – usually 2 to 3 working days following. During the examination, the body is opened and the organs are removed for examination. In some cases, a diagnosis can be made just by looking at the organs. Some organs may need to be examined further during the post-mortem.
Once the examination of the organs and body is complete, the pathologists will return the organs to the body. The release papers will be issued and the body can then be collected to prepare for the funeral.
After a post-mortem examination, the pathologist will write a report of the findings. This report will then be delivered to the coroner or doctor after which point you will be notified of the cause of death.
Obtaining post-mortem results
If you would like a full copy of the pathologist’s report, you can request a copy from the coroner’s office but there may be a fee incurred. If the post-mortem was requested by a hospital doctor, a small fee may also be charged to view the report.