Changes in the nature and outcome of notifications to HM Coroner from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, UK, before and after the introduction of a medical examiner service: 2018 versus 2022.

A medical examiner (ME) system was introduced to England and Wales in 2019 intended to ensure appropriate notification of cases to HM Coroner (HMC). The aim of the study is to determine and compare: (a) the nature of notifications to HMC for Norfolk from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) in 2018 compared with 2022; (b) to determine the outcome of those notifications and (c) to establish patterns of change in the number and nature of such notifications. HMC and ME datasets were interrogated to determine differences between notifications to HMC and outcomes in 2018 compared with 2022. From deaths at NNUH (2018 - n  =  2605; 2022 - n  =  2969), there were significantly fewer HMC notifications in 2022 compared with 2018 (25.3% vs. 17.6%). A decrease in notifications was noted for persons undergoing any 'treatment or procedure of a medical or similar nature' (24.0% vs. 16.2%)

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.