Why would The Coroner be involved...?

When a death occurs that may not be due to natural causes, it must be reported to the coroner.  Even if it is fairly evident that the death was due to natural causes, but the deceased had not been seen by a doctor for 14 days prior to the death the coroner must be informed.  Following a consultation with the deceased’s G.P. to establish whether they are satisfied the death was due to natural causes, the Coroner will either cease to be involved and send the necessary documentation to the registrar, or they may decide to investigate and potentially open an inquiry in to the probable cause. The coroner will order a post mortem where deaths occur in these cases and can do so without the authorisation of the next of kin. If, as a result of the post mortem, the death is confirmed as being due to a cause other than a natural one, the coroner is obliged by law to hold an inquest. 

This does not necessarily mean a delay to the funeral proceedings but please speak to us regarding the time involved for particular circumstances.

In most cases the coroner will release the body of the person who has died for burial or cremation before the inquest takes place, but in some circumstances there may be a longer delay.  Should this occur we will liaise with the coroner’s office and keep you informed.

The actual funeral will have to wait until the outcome of the coroner’s investigations but in many cases we will have a reasonably accurate indication of how long it will take, and so tentative funeral arrangements can be made.

Where deaths have been referred to the coroner, they will send the cause of death certificate directly to the registrar.  They will inform you when they have done so and at this point it is possible to register the death as stated on the registering page