Certification of Death (Scotland) Act 2011
| Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about the certification of death and still-birth certificates; to make provision for medical reviewers, the senior medical reviewer and their functions; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2011 asp 11 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 20 April 2011 |
| Commencement |
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| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Certification of Death (Scotland) Act 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Certification of Death (Scotland) Act 2011 (asp 11) is an act of the Scottish Parliament relating to the certification of deaths in Scotland.[1]
Background
The act was a response to a series of scandals involving cremations and the certification of death, including the murders committed by Harold Shipman.[2][3]
Provisions
The act abolished fees for cremation forms.[2]
The act requires that 10% of death certificates be sampled for review.[4]
The act gives relatives a right to review a death certificate if they have concerns.[3]
Reviews of death certificates are carried out by a team at Health Improvement Scotland, who are required to act independently.[5]
References
- ↑ "Certification of Death (Scotland) Act 2011". The Scottish Government. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- 1 2 Bradford, Eleanor (13 May 2015). "Death certificate system overhauled in wake of scandals". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- 1 2 Hannan, Martin (13 May 2015). "Scotland leads the way by scrapping cremation form fees". The National. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Cremation form fees abolished in Scotland". Law Society of Scotland. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Fletcher, Alan; Coster, Joanne; Goodacre, Steve (14 December 2018). "Impact of the new medical examiner role on patient safety". BMJ. 363 k5166. doi:10.1136/bmj.k5166. ISSN 0959-8138. PMID 30552229.