Ordering and retaining medical certificates of cause of death (MCCDs)

The current medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) was introduced as part of the statutory medical examiner system on 9 September 2024, along with updated guidance for medical practitioners completing an an MCCD in in England and Wales. 

The Department of Health and Social Care sent guidance on how to order MCCDs - and a unique passcode - to organisations that use MCCDs.

Ordering more MCCDs

All organisations that use MCCDs mustshould ensure bethey orderedhave fromenough theMCCDs NHSto Businesslast Servicesa Authorityyear (NHSBSAand order more if necessary.

New MCCDs). are usually delivered within 5 working days of receipt of the order. 

You can order more MCCDs using the guidance and passcode you received.  

If you havedid not yetreceive, registeredor forhave lost, the NHSBSAguidance and/or your unique passcode, email the MCCD orderingmailbox service,at pleasemccd@dhsc.gov.uk dospecifying sowhether nowyou require a passcode, guidance or both.

For passcode and guidance requests to avoidbe anyprocessed, delaysyou must:

• copy in gettinga MCCDs.
  colleague from your organisation (for security and confirmation of organisation)
• supply the organisation’s full address, including postcode

RegisterOrganisations forin Wales must order the NHSBSAbilingual MCCD orderingonly. service

IfThis youis haveshown alreadyby registered,the youletter can‘W’ orderat MCCDsthe throughend of the onlineMCCD orderingproduct portal.- for example, APC1W, APC2W, MEC3W and MEC4W.

Retaining the completed completed MCCD

Many GPs, hospitals, hospices, care homes and medical examiner offices scan the completed completed MCCD before before emailing it to their medical examiner office (and many medical examiner offices scan the completed completed MCCD before before sending it to the register office). You must securely store the paper copy of the completed MCCD and any partially completed MCCDs until until the medical examiner has confirmed the cause of death to you and sent the completed completed MCCD to to the registrar.

Once the medical examiner has confirmed the cause of death and sent the completed completed MCCD to to the registrar, all duplicate copies of the the MCCD, held by the attending practitioner and medical examinerexaminer, can be destroyed.

In England and Wales, GPs, hospitals, hospices and medical examiner offices must keep completed counterfoils for 2 years in line with NHS England’s records management code of practice and  and NHS Wales’sWales’ records management code of practice 2022.

Old MCCDsOld MCCD

You should securely destroy unused booklets of the MCCD that were in use before 9 September 2024.

For partially used booklets, you should remove and securely destroy the unused MCCDs, leaving the counterfoils only.

In England, GPs, hospitals, hospices, care homes and medical examiner offices must keep completed counterfoils for old old MCCDs for for 2 years before destroying,destroying in line with NHS England’s records management code of practice.

In Wales, the equivalent guidance is the NHS Wales records management code of practice. This sets out the requirements for the retention, storage and destruction of health records, including those related to death.