Reference: FOI-2023-1674
You asked
How many COVID-19 deaths were signed off by doctors without the victim being granted a post mortem?
How many of above death certificates were signed by only one doctor?
We said
Thank you for your request.
Certificates signed by more than one doctor
Medical examiners (ME) have been operating on a non-statutory basis in England and Wales since 2019, and have been scrutinising an increasing proportion of deaths since then.
Where an ME has provided scrutiny, it will mean more than one doctor is involved in the certification of a death. However, while MEs are working on a non-statutory basis, they do not add their signature to the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), and therefore data on whether a ME was involved or does not reach ONS. As such, we do not hold information on this.
ME scrutiny will become statutory from April 2024. From then, all deaths will be scrutinised, and ME signature will also appear on the MCCD.
NHS England may be able to advise further on the proportion of deaths scrutinised by time period and/or area, at an aggregate level, since 2019 (for England). They can be contacted at: england.contactus@nhs.net.
Post-mortems
Information on deaths from COVID-19 broken down by whether a post mortem was conducted or not, and whether they were certified by a doctor or a coroner, along with other special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales, are available to order via our bespoke services route. Such services are subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs in line with the ONS Charging Policy. Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.