The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024

Amendment of the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019

4.—(1) The Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019(1) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 1 (citation, commencement and meaning of “relevant senior coroner”)—

(a) in the heading, for “meaning of “relevant senior coroner”” substitute “interpretation”;

(b) for paragraph (2) substitute—

“(2) In these regulations—

“attending practitioner”, in relation to a deceased person, means a registered medical practitioner who attended the deceased person before their death;

“relevant senior coroner”, in relation to a death, means the senior coroner appointed for the coroner area(2) in which the body of the deceased person lies.”.

(3) In regulation 2 (duty to notify a relevant senior coroner of a death), for paragraph (2) substitute—

“(2) But the duty in paragraph (1) does not apply if the registered medical practitioner reasonably believes that—

(a) the relevant senior coroner has already been notified of the death under these Regulations; or

(b) a referral has been made to the relevant senior coroner under regulation 3(1)(b)(ii) or 10(1) of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Regulations 2024(3).”.

(4) In regulation 3 (circumstances in which the duty to notify arises)—

(a) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in sub-paragraph (c)(i), for “attending medical practitioner required to sign a certificate of cause of death” substitute “attending practitioner”;

(ii) in sub-paragraph (e), for “attending medical practitioner required to sign a certificate of cause of death” substitute “attending practitioner”;

(iii) for sub-paragraph (f) substitute—

“(f) the registered medical practitioner reasonably believes that—

(i) there is an attending practitioner in relation to the deceased person; but

(ii) an attending practitioner is not available within a reasonable time of the person's death to prepare and sign an attending practitioner’s certificate;”;

(b) in paragraph (2), in the list of definitions—

(i) omit the definition of “attending medical practitioner”;

(ii) at the appropriate place insert—

““attending practitioner’s certificate” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Regulations 2024;”;

(iii) omit the definition of “certificate of the cause of death”.

(5) In regulation 4 (notifying the relevant senior coroner), for paragraph (3)(h) substitute—

“(h) if the registered medical practitioner is not an attending practitioner in relation to the deceased person, the name of any registered medical practitioner who is.”.

(1)

S.I. 2019/1112.

(2)

For the meaning of “coroner area”, see section 48(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

(3)

S.I. 2024/492.