On April 27th 2023 the Department for Health and Social Care issued a statement declaring that a statutory medical examiner system would be introduced from April 2024, and that the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the Health and Social Care Act 2022 would be updated and drafts circulated by Autumn 2023. The ministerial statement can be read here. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the current non-statutory arrangements relating to cremation and burial will remain in place until further notice. Members therefore do not need to take any action at the present time, and should continue with their current arrangements. The ICCM will continue to work with other organisations to ensure that the necessary changes to cremation and burial regulations are made to align with the introduction of the statutory medical examiner system.
