Message from Senior Coroner, Ms NJ Mundy
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic a number of team members will be working remotely.
As a matter of priority can you please ensure ALL COMMUNICATION WITH THIS OFFICE IS DONE VIA THE APPROPRIATE EMAIL ADDRESS (and not by fax) to enable the team to access referrals electronically. Death referrals and the associated documents (MCCD, covering docs etc) are sent to:
Responses to officer requests and general enquiries are sent to:
Please DO NOT fax anything through as it may not be received and will therefore cause unnecessary delay and further distress to all.

Message from Superintendent Registrars regarding issuing of Death Certificates (MCCD’s)
With effect from Tuesday 24 March 2020, can all MCCDs (front and back of the form, even if referred to the Coroner) be scanned to Doncaster Register Office at with deceased name in the email title. Next of kin are not required to collect these from the surgery and can be advised that the registration of the death will now be done over the telephone by a registrar. Please share the name and contact details of the next of kin in the email and that we will contact them to arrange a telephone registration appointment as quickly as possible.

Pandemic specific guidance
Form 4 guidance

Form ‘Cremation 4’ can be submitted electronically and an electronic signature includes being sent from the secure email account of the person completing the form ‘Cremation 4.’

Any medical practitioner can complete form ‘Cremation 4,’ even if they did not attend the deceased during their last illness or after death, if the following conditions are fulfilled:

The medical practitioner who did attend the deceased is unable to sign the form ‘Cremation 4’ or it is impractical for them to do so and,

A medical practitioner has seen the deceased (including audiovisual/video consultation) within 28 days before death, or has viewed the body in person after death

Examination of the body is not required for completion of form ‘Cremation 4’ if the deceased was seen by a medical practitioner (including audiovisual/video consultation) in the 28 days before death

When a medical practitioner who did not attend the deceased completes form ‘Cremation 4,’ the following applies:

Question 5. ‘Usual medical practitioner’. Where the certifying doctor did not themselves attend the patient either during their illness or after death, the certifying doctor should provide the GMC number and name of the medical practitioner who did attend at Question 9. This should also include the date when the deceased was seen and a report of the record made by the attending doctor

Question 6. ‘Not applicable’ is acceptable

Question 7. ‘Not applicable’ is acceptable.

Question 8. ‘Not applicable’ is acceptable. As at (‘3’) above, if the form Cremation 4 is being completed on the basis of another medical practitioner having seen the deceased after death, the date, time and nature of their examination should be recorded at Question 9.

There is no longer a requirement for  ‘cremation form 5’.

The form MUST be signed with either a “wet” signature or an electronic version of a wet signature.  In exceptional circumstances, the Ministry of Justice has clarified that we can accept an emailed form from the doctor’s personal email, as long as the following statement is included: “Please find the attached Cremation Form signed by me”.

All CMRs are being expected to use encrypted email accounts, such as