Coroner's Office

In some cases a death is referred to the coroner. The coroner is an independent officer with the statutory responsibility for the legal investigation of certain categories of deaths. The coroner is either a doctor or a lawyer by background, and is supported by a team of coroner’s officers, who investigate any deaths which are referred to the coroner.

There are many other reasons why a doctor may refer a death to the coroner. If your relative/friend died in hospital, the medical examiner’s office will inform you when they call, if a coroner’s referral is needed, once they have spoken with the clinician.

Whenever a death has been reported to the Coroner, the local Registrar of Births and Deaths must wait for the Coroner to finish his enquiries before the death can be registered.  Paperwork will then be issued allowing for the funeral to proceed.  In some cases, the Coroner may open an inquest which is a judicial inquiry into the death.

Once the coroner has received the referral, one of the coroner’s officers will contact you within 48 hours to discuss the referral with you and listen to any views you may have. They will be able to answer any questions you have about the coronial process, advise you on next steps and support you.

If the coroner is satisfied that there is no investigation needed into your relative/friend’s death, they will advise the doctor to proceed with writing the Medical Cause of Death Certificate. This means you can proceed with registration once the certificate has been completed by the doctor.

Sometimes, the coroner may feel that further investigation is needed, and this investigation may include an inquest. When this happens, the doctor will no longer need to issue the Medical Cause of Death Certificate and the Coroner’s Office will take over all aspects of paperwork relating to the death.

An inquest is a public court hearing held by the coroner to decide who died, how, when and where the death happened. This can be with or without the need for a post mortem examination of your relative/friend.

The coroner’s officers will clearly explain to you what happens next and explain the procedure if this happens, as well as discuss with you the decision by the coroner about whether a post mortem examination is needed.

Going through an inquest can be upsetting and complicated at an already difficult time for you and your family. If you need any support, please see the signposting to support agencies on a separate section of our bereavement support guidance.