Community directory

What do the Coroners do?

The Coroner’s responsibility is to seek to establish the cause of death.

In some cases the Coroner, having assessed the facts and been satisfied that the cause of death was a natural one, may decide that it is not necessary to hold a post mortem examination. A certificate will then be issued to the Registration Service and the death can be registered by the next of kin or another recognised informant.

In other cases the Coroner may decide that there should be a post mortem. This is a medical examination of the body carried out by a pathologist. The consent of the next of kin is not required but they are entitled to be represented at the examination by a doctor of their choice. The post mortem examination may be supported by scientific tests including toxicology (measurement of the level of a poison for example drugs or alcohol) and histology (detailed examination of the cell structure of an organ).

If the post mortem shows that the death was due to a natural cause, it is unlikely that it will be necessary to hold an inquest. A certificate showing the cause of death will be issued to the Registration Service and the family will then be able to register the death and complete their funeral arrangements.

Where the death has been found to be due to an unnatural cause or in circumstances where the Coroner has an opinion that an inquest is necessary, he or she will hold an inquest.

The inquest will be opened to establish the identity of the deceased and then the body can be released for funeral, unless further examinations are necessary. The release of the body can be delayed where somebody has been charged with causing the death and wishes to hold their own independent examination. At this stage an interim death certificate will be issued. This does not replace a death certificate but is accepted by most financial institutions. It allows transactions with bank accounts, insurance policies and social security payments etc to go ahead without waiting for the death registration. If relatives find that an institution refuses to accept an interim death certificate they are advised to discuss the matter with a Coroners’ Officer or ask the institution to write to the Coroner.