{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/notification-of-deaths-regulations-2019/regulation-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/notification-of-deaths-regulations-2019/regulation-3.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2019/1112",
  "legislation_title": "The Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/notification-of-deaths-regulations-2019",
  "path": "regulation/3",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Circumstances in which the duty to notify arises",
  "text": "(1) The circumstances are—\n(a) the registered medical practitioner suspects that that the person's death was due to—\n(i) poisoning, including by an otherwise benign substance;\n(ii) exposure to or contact with a toxic substance;\n(iii) the use of a medicinal product, controlled drug or psychoactive substance;\n(iv) violence;\n(v) trauma or injury;\n(vi) self-harm;\n(vii) neglect, including self-neglect;\n(viii) the person undergoing a treatment or procedure of a medical or similar nature; or\n(ix) an injury or disease attributable to any employment held by the person during the person's lifetime;\n(b) the registered medical practitioner suspects that the person's death was unnatural but does not fall within any of the circumstances listed in sub-paragraph (a);\n(c) the registered medical practitioner—\n(i) is an attending practitioner in relation to the deceased person; but\n(ii) despite taking reasonable steps to determine the cause of death, considers that the cause of death is unknown;\n(d) the registered medical practitioner suspects that the person died while in custody or otherwise in state detention ;\n(e) the registered medical practitioner reasonably believes that there is no attending practitioner in relation to the deceased person;\n(f) the registered medical practitioner reasonably believes that—\n(i) there is an attending practitioner in relation to the deceased person; but\n(ii) an attending practitioner is not available within a reasonable time of the person's death to prepare and sign an attending practitioner’s certificate;\n(g) the registered medical practitioner, after taking reasonable steps to ascertain the identity of the deceased person, is unable to do so.\n(2) In this regulation—\n...\n“attending practitioner’s certificate” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Regulations 2024;\n...\n“controlled drug” has the same meaning as in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 ;\n“employment” means any employment, whether paid or unpaid, including—\n(a)work under a contract for services or as an office holder; and\n(b)work experience provided pursuant to a training course or in the course of training for employment;\n“medicinal product” has the same meaning given by regulation 2 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 ;\n“psychoactive substance” has the same meaning as in the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 .",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3(1)(c)(i) substituted (9.9.2024) by The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/668), regs. 1(1), 4(4)(a)(i) (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3(1)(e) substituted (9.9.2024) by The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/668), regs. 1(1), 4(4)(a)(ii) (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Reg. 3(1)(f) substituted (9.9.2024) by The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/668), regs. 1(1), 4(4)(a)(iii) (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3(2) omitted (9.9.2024) by virtue of The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/668), regs. 1(1), 4(4)(b)(i) (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3(2) inserted (9.9.2024) by The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/668), regs. 1(1), 4(4)(b)(ii) (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3(2) omitted (9.9.2024) by virtue of The Cremation, Coroners and Notification of Deaths (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/668), regs. 1(1), 4(4)(b)(iii) (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "For the definition of “state detention”, see section 48 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1971 (c. 38)."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M3",
      "text": "S.I. 2012/1916."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M4",
      "text": "2016 (c. 2)."
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 3 in force at 1.10.2019, see reg. 1(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1112/regulation/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T22:38:46.844273+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}