Finding out the cause of death

Tuesday_Tenor

Mojisola wrote: »

You can contact the local registration office or order here -
https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

I believe the online indexes for deaths only go up to something like 2006 .

For more recent deaths, apply to the local registration office as suggested.

BobQ

While it can be equally misleading the Death Certificate should also state a place of death and the person reporting the death. So if the person died in a hospital it will state that as the place of death.

G6JNS

TonyMMM wrote: »

The way causes of death can be shown are quite strictly defined and because of the rules about certification, it can get quite complex and without a PM sometimes doctors are limited in what they can put.

If an inquest has taken place - then sometimes a you may get fuller cause/story shown (especially if there is a narrative verdict).

"Old Age" is an acceptable cause of death ( where the person is over 80) and still used quite regularly.

As a layman I find this extraordinary. If I remember correctly the actual certificate of death given to the Registrar says the the exact medical cause of death was XXXXX. I don't see how old age is an adequate or indeed an accurate answer. Of course in my GG grandfather's case medical knowledge was not as advanced in 1860 when he died. Likewise as my late mother died of a cardiac arrest involving a resuscitation attempt surely that was the exact cause of death. Maybe it is not that simple so I wonder if there is a document that sets out the rules and if it is available online? Just curious! TIA.

Savvy_Sue

Well surely there's only one cause of death, and that's 'organ failure'? It's what prompted that organ failure which is more variable.

The certificate which we took to the registrar from the hospital after both Mum's and Dad's death had more information than appeared on the final certificate. In both cases there were a number of underlying causes which don't appear on the final certificate.

candlelight_2013

Savvy Sue, as an ex Registrar of Births and Deaths I would have had to copy the exact cause of death from the certificate issued by the doctor in the order he/she would have written it. i.e.

1.(a) Bronchopneumonia
(b) Cerebrovascular accident

11. Diabetes mellitus

The order is important as the doctor is stating the deceased died from bronchopneumonia as a result of a stroke, but also had diabetes.

I hope that helps

Candlelightx

TonyMMM

G6JNS wrote: »

As a layman I find this extraordinary. If I remember correctly the actual certificate of death given to the Registrar says the the exact medical cause of death was XXXXX. I don't see how old age is an adequate or indeed an accurate answer. Of course in my GG grandfather's case medical knowledge was not as advanced in 1860 when he died. Likewise as my late mother died of a cardiac arrest involving a resuscitation attempt surely that was the exact cause of death. Maybe it is not that simple so I wonder if there is a document that sets out the rules and if it is available online? Just curious! TIA.

The doctor issuing the cause of death certificate has to be able to do so , and there are strict rules around that. If they don't feel able to give a cause they will consult the coroner, who may or may not ask for a post mortem.

It is quite common for those with terminal cancer to actually die of another illness, such as pneumonia, brought on as a result of infection or weakness related to their underlying illness. In that type of case, pneumonia would be the actual cause of death and the cancer would be listed at 1(b) on the certificate as in the example above... probably worded as "metastatic carcinoma of ..."

Cardiac Arrest would not be acceptable as a cause of death, because all that means is that a heart stopped beating, (which I suppose we all die of in the end) - that is known as a "mode of dying" not a cause.

In my experience "Old Age" is most commonly used where an elderly person has a number of conditions and it isn't always clear exactly which has specifically led to death. It spares the family the distress of a post mortem, which may not always be conclusive anyway. It is used quite regularly and a very common cause of death - the proviso being that the person has to be over 80 which was raised from 70 some time ago due to increasing life expectancy.

G6JNS

TonyMMM wrote: »

The doctor issuing the cause of death certificate has to be able to do so , and there are strict rules around that. If they don't feel able to give a cause they will consult the coroner, who may or may not ask for a post mortem.

It is quite common for those with terminal cancer to actually die of another illness, such as pneumonia, brought on as a result of infection or weakness related to their underlying illness. In that type of case, pneumonia would be the actual cause of death and the cancer would be listed at 1(b) on the certificate as in the example above... probably worded as "metastatic carcinoma of ..."

Cardiac Arrest would not be acceptable as a cause of death, because all that means is that a heart stopped beating, (which I suppose we all die of in the end) - that is known as a "mode of dying" not a cause.

In my experience "Old Age" is most commonly used where an elderly person has a number of conditions and it isn't always clear exactly which has specifically led to death. It spares the family the distress of a post mortem, which may not always be conclusive anyway. It is used quite regularly and a very common cause of death - the proviso being that the person has to be over 80 which was raised from 70 some time ago due to increasing life expectancy.

Thank you. Most helpful.

I found the notes here.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cause+of+death+registration+rules&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=hdrIVf-oMsOna53MlqgF

BobQ

G6JNS wrote: »

As a layman I find this extraordinary. If I remember correctly the actual certificate of death given to the Registrar says the the exact medical cause of death was XXXXX. I don't see how old age is an adequate or indeed an accurate answer. Of course in my GG grandfather's case medical knowledge was not as advanced in 1860 when he died. Likewise as my late mother died of a cardiac arrest involving a resuscitation attempt surely that was the exact cause of death. Maybe it is not that simple so I wonder if there is a document that sets out the rules and if it is available online? Just curious! TIA.

While I too am surprised about the "Old Age" cause, I do think it is true that an exact cause of death is not always recorded. Sometimes you can have a sudden death following a sustained illness that while terminal may not have been the actual cause of death. A PM is not always conducted.

ETA. The guidance given to medical practitioners re the use of "Old Age" on a certificate is:

Old age should only be given as the sole cause of death in very limited circumstances. These
are that:
• You have personally cared for the deceased over a long period (years, or many months)
• You have observed a gradual decline in your patient's general health and functioning
• You are not aware of any identifiable disease or injury that contributed to the death
• You are certain that there is no reason that the death should be reported to the coroner

I imagine the above would receive a lot of scrutiny these days.

PasturesNew

When I was 17 a girl died, found dead in bed at home. Everybody at the time said it was suicide, after her bf finished with her..... roll on nearly 40 years and googling randomly I discovered her family tree online. Written by a family member. He said natural causes.

That's a bit annoying. But, he might've been told a different story .... or he might be re-writing history while her parents are still alive (and didn't want that information out in the public domain for anybody to read).

I'd love to know the truth .... but not £10 interested

pimento

G6JNS wrote: »

As a layman I find this extraordinary. If I remember correctly the actual certificate of death given to the Registrar says the the exact medical cause of death was XXXXX. I don't see how old age is an adequate or indeed an accurate answer. Of course in my GG grandfather's case medical knowledge was not as advanced in 1860 when he died. Likewise as my late mother died of a cardiac arrest involving a resuscitation attempt surely that was the exact cause of death. Maybe it is not that simple so I wonder if there is a document that sets out the rules and if it is available online? Just curious! TIA.

Nobody in the US has died of 'old age' since 1951.

http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/11364-Not-one-American-has-died-of-old-age-since-1951.html