M&M redaction is the removal of personal data from a mortality and morbidity review. Since the statutory medical examiner system under the Health and Care Act 2022 took effect nationally, every death not investigated by a coroner gets independent scrutiny before an M&M discussion happens, alongside the National Quality Board's Learning from Deaths guidance for cases needing deeper local review. anonym.plus works on your device and keeps the timeline and learning points whole.
When this applies
An M&M review names the deceased, the team, and the dates that led to a poor outcome, on top of whatever the medical examiner already recorded. The meeting needs the clinical lesson, so those people come out beforehand.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file in anonym.plus on your workstation.
- Local OCR handles any scanned chart pages.
- It flags the deceased, the named team, and the dates.
- Confirm the flags and keep the clinical findings.
- Swap each item, or black it out for the slide pack.
- Save the clean write-up. The source stays on your device.
What you need to provide
- The case file (PDF, DOCX, or slide export).
- An operator (Replace keeps the timeline readable).
- Optional role map for [PATIENT] and [TEAM] labels.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | PERSON | the deceased → [PATIENT] |
| Staff | PERSON | Dr. Khan, RN Park → [TEAM] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | arrested 21:40 → shifted [TIME] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | NHS No. 312 654 7788 → [NHS_NUMBER] |
| Location | LOCATION | ICU bay 2 → [LOCATION] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | on-call bleep 332 → [CONTACT] |
Compliance achieved
- Complements the independent scrutiny every death gets under the Health and Care Act 2022 medical examiner system.
- Supports the National Quality Board Learning from Deaths framework for cases needing deeper local review.
- Meets the DPA 2018 & NHS Code of Confidentiality for review.
- Clears the named individual and the named clinicians together.
Anonymise M&M case files offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
An M&M case can be unique on its own: a rare event on a known date at one unit may re-identify even after names go. Shift the dates, broaden the place, and treat unusual cases with extra care before sharing.
Frequently asked questions
Does the medical examiner system replace an M&M review?
No. The medical examiner gives every non-coronial death an independent, proportionate check under the Health and Care Act 2022, while an M&M review is the clinical team's own deeper look at what happened and why, guided by the National Quality Board's Learning from Deaths framework. Redacting the M&M file is a separate step, done before the case is discussed or shared more widely.
Are the clinicians’ names removed too?
Yes. A blinded review usually swaps the team’s names along with the subject’s, so the focus stays on the system, not the people.
Will the timeline survive?
Yes. The sequence and the clinical findings stay. Shifting the times keeps the gaps while the real clock is hidden, and working files are guarded by AES-256-GCM throughout.