The coroner may
become involved when someone dies to establish the cause of
death and the circumstances surrounding it.
The coroner's service will
investigate sudden or unexplained deaths such as the death of
a person in custody or one resulting from their occupation
and a registrar may have to involve the coroner in a
range of circumstances.
If you are collecting a
medical certificate cause of death from a doctor or
hospital before registering a death, you will need to
know whether the doctor has discussed the matter
with the coroners service. The register office will need to
know this and will make an appointment which allows time for
the necessary paperwork. Your funeral director would also need to
know.
If no doctor is able to
certify a death, or where the cause of death is uncertain, the
coroner may be able to provide the necessary information so that
the death can be registered.
Once made aware of the
death, the coroner may determine that there is no need for further
investigations and the death can be registered from the doctor's
certificate or 'uncertified' using information given to the
registrar by the coroner.
Alternatively the coroner
may order a post mortem examination to determine the cause of death
or he may open an inquest.
Most contact with the
coroner's service is through a coroner's officer. He or
she will liaise with the bereaved and others following a
death. They will normally be able to advise what steps are being
taken by the coroner in connection with the death.
The contact details for your
local office are:
Tel: 01275 461 920
Fax: 01275 462 749
Address: The Coroners Service for the District of Avon, Coroner's
Court, Old Weston Road, Flax Bourton, BS48 1UL.
The registration
service will be happy to make enquiries on your behalf if
you are unsure about the coroner's involvement.
For more information visit
The Coroners’ Society of
England and Wales website.
