Deaths Reported to Coroner
Here you will find the complete list of when a death has to be referred to the Coroner.
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Coroners are independent judicial officers who investigate deaths reported to them. They will make whatever inquiries are necessary to find out the cause of death, this includes ordering a post-mortem examination, obtaining witness statements and medical records, or holding an inquest.
A death is reported to a Coroner in the following situations:
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a doctor did not treat the person during their last illness
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a doctor did not see or treat the person for the condition from which they died within 28 days of death
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the cause of death was sudden, violent or unnatural such as an accident, or suicide
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the cause of death was murder
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the cause of death was an industrial disease of the lungs such as asbestosis
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the death occurred in any other circumstances that may require investigation
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A death in hospital should be reported if:
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there is a question of negligence or misadventure about the treatment of the person who died
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they died before a provisional diagnosis was made and the general practitioner is not willing to certify the cause
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the patient died as the result of the administration of an anaesthetic
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A death should be reported to a Coroner by the police, when:
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a dead body is found
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death is unexpected or unexplained
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a death occurs in suspicious circumstances
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A death should be reported by the Governor of a prison immediately following the death of a prisoner no matter what the cause of death is.
