Family is confused due to delay in death certificate

A family had to wait weeks before planning the last rites of two of their relatives due to a delay in issuing death certificates.

Paul Crook, of Langston, Newport, said he too had to make repeated calls to speed up the process because he was grieving for both of his in-laws.

The new system was introduced partly in response to Harold Shipman murdersThis means that all deaths not investigated by a coroner are now independently reviewed by a medical examiner before a death certificate is issued.

The Welsh Government said it was sorry for the delay, and said the new system was designed to protect families and it “may take some time to be fully implemented”.

Under the new system introduced on 9 September 2024, GPs no longer independently issue death certificates.

After a doctor completes a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), an independent medical examiner reviews it.

Mr Crook, whose family suffered two bereavements in just a few months, is one of many calling for a review of the system in England and Wales.

His father-in-law, Anthony Roberts, died on November 26, but he did not receive his death certificate until December 13 – 17 days later – only then could he begin planning a funeral.

The funeral took place on 27 December, 31 days after Mr Roberts’ death.

Mr Roberts’s wife June fell ill on 20 December and died on 2 January, her death certificate not being issued until 13 January.

This means Mrs Roberts’ funeral will not take place until February 3, 32 days after her death.

Mr Crook said he also needed to call “many, many times” to pursue the process.

“When you get a response, often you are put into an automated system and then eventually the call hangs up and you wait ten minutes for a response,” Mr Crook said.

“Then you’d call back and eventually talk to someone and then they’d give you a status update which was usually ‘he’s being followed, we’re waiting for the doctor’.”

Natasha Asghar, the Conservative Senedd member for South Wales East, echoed Mr Crook’s call for a review.

“Why exactly do we have so much backlog,” Ms. Asghar said.

“Whilst I have complete respect and admiration for those who work on the front line (and) I can understand that it is a very high-pressure job, it is essential that the Welsh Government acts quickly to prevent such incidents. “Please review as soon as possible before this happens again.”

According to Rachel Bradburn of the National Association of Funeral Directors, the process is taking “three times as long” as before.

“We’re looking at two to three weeks after the death to contact the medical examiner,” he said.

“Just to put it into some context, before September 9 it was a week on average, so extending that period would have some very serious consequences.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We would like to apologize to any families who have experienced delays in receiving death certificates, which may have affected their funeral plans.

“The changes brought in to reform the death certification process in England and Wales are designed to strengthen safeguards for families, but may take some time to be fully implemented.

“We are working with the Chief Medical Examiner and the NHS in Wales to understand where the delays are, and how additional support can be provided to bereaved families at such a difficult time.”