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Commenting on a Constitutional Affairs Committee report on reform of death certification in England and Wales, Dr George Fernie, chairman of the BMA’s Forensic Medicine Committee, says:

“This report echoes the long-standing concerns of the BMA. The government could be about to miss the opportunity of a lifetime to deliver a much needed overhaul of our outdated system of death certification.

Current government proposals do provide some foundation on which to develop a modernised service with effective medical support. However, the BMA would not be able to endorse a partly reformed, underfunded system that was not fit for purpose.

We are disappointed that the government has dropped plans to combine the process of certifying death with the process of certifying cremation. Given that doctors’ representatives have responded so constructively to the consultation process in order to try and ensure public confidence in the system, it is a tremendous pity the government has back-tracked so spectacularly when a number of sensible proposals had been put forward.

The Constitutional Affairs Committee is absolutely right that the system needs not only to be re-structured, but also supported with adequate resources. It is clear that for many years, some local authorities have not provided sufficient funding for coroners’ services. Coroners have been severely overstretched, and often forced to work without sufficient support or office facilities.”

For more information, click here to visit the BMA' web page on Coroners Reform.

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