Deaths reported to the Coroner
About the Coroner
Coroners are independent of both Local and Central Government and are required to act in accordance with Home Office rules and procedures. They usually have a medical or legal background and have a duty to investigate the circumstances of sudden, unnatural or uncertified deaths within their jurisdiction. This may include holding an inquest.
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When is a death reported to the Coroner?
- When the death was sudden, unexplained, uncertified by a medical practitioner or surrounded by suspicious circumstances
- When the death may be due to an industrial injury or disease, or to accident, violence, neglect, abortion, or poisoning
- When the death occurred during an operation or before recovery from the effect of an anaesthetic
- When the deceased has not been treated by a doctor during their illness
- When the doctor attending the deceased did not see them within 14 days before or after death
- When the death occurred in police custody or in prison.
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What will the Coroner do?
The Coroner will first try to establish that the death was due to natural causes and that there is a medical practitioner who is able to issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of death. If this is the case, you will be advised to attend the Register Office to register the death.
If the Coroner is unable to establish these facts he/she will make arrangements for the body to be transported to the local hospital, where, as required by law, a post-mortem examination will be performed.
This examination often shows that the death was due to natural causes. As such, no inquest is required. The family will then be informed and advised to register the death at the Register Office.
It is important to remember that once any death has been reported to the Coroner the death cannot be registered until his/her enquiries have been completed. This can take some time, therefore no funeral arrangements should be made without first consulting the Coroner’s office.
If the Coroner considers that the death was not due to natural causes he is obliged to hold an inquest.
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What happens at an inquest?
An inquest is not a trial, it is a medical and legal inquiry into the death. Its purpose is to establish the deceased’s identity, when, where and how the death occurred and to establish other facts required by the Registrar.
In some cases an inquest will be adjourned and a Coroner’s form issued allowing the funeral to take place. Such an inquest will be re-opened at a later date to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
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How is the death registered after an inquest?
Once an inquest has been held the Coroner will send the relevant report to the Registrar of the district in which the death occurred. Usually, the Registrar will then register the death and send the family a form for Social Security purposes (BD8).
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