The Coroner’s Office and Post Mortems

Some deaths are reported by hospital doctors to the Coroner’s Office, e.g:

• Death was sudden or violent or caused by an accident

• Death might be due to an industrial injury or disease

• The death occurred while the patient was undergoing an operation or was under the effect of an anaesthetic, a recent fracture

The Coroner will then decide whether or not a post mortem examination is needed. The Coroner has a legal right to request a post mortem even if this is contrary to the family’s wishes. He will make any necessary arrangements, and give the Register Office the relevant forms so that you can register the death.

You will not receive a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death from the hospital when a Coroner’s post mortem examination is carried out. The Coroner’s Office will send the relevant paper work straight to the Register Office. The Coroner will contact you with the cause of death and ask you to telephone the Register Office to make an appointment. You will go straight to the Register Office to register the death. You only need to come to the hospital if the deceased has property and/or valuables to collect.

If there is a post mortem, the results go only to the Coroner in the first instance but if you wish you can get a copy of the Post Mortem Report by applying in writing to:-

The Coroner’s Office

Town Hall, Bourne Avenue, Bournemouth BH2 6DY

01202 123900

Please tell your Funeral Director if the death is reported to the Coroner.

Wills and Probate

If you have any queries about the deceased person’s Will or regarding the absence of a Will you can contact your local Probate Registry.

What is Probate?

When a person dies somebody has to deal with their estate (the money, property and possessions left) by collecting in all the money, paying any debts and distributing what is left to those people entitled to it. In order to get authority to do this the designated person usually needs to obtain a legal document called a Grant of Representation from the Probate Registry. There are three types of Grant of Representation.

Probate - Issued to one or more executors named in the deceased’s Will. Note: Executors are people named in the Will to deal with the estate.

Letters of Administration (With Will) - Issued when there is a Will but there is no executor named or when the executors are unable or willing to apply for the grant.

Letters of Administration - Issued when the deceased has not made a Will, or any Will made is not valid. If the deceased left a Will, Probate will generally need to be obtained. If there is no Will, Probate cannot be obtained and instead you will generally need to apply for Letters of Administration, before you can administer the Estate. In both cases, the processes involved are very similar and the Form PA1 can be used. This needs to be completed, and sent or taken to the Probate Registry. You can obtain this form from your local Probate Registry or download it from the website.

Probate Registry

1st Floor, Southside Offices, The Law Courts

Winchester SO23 9EL

01962 814100 courttribunalfinder.service.gov.uk/courts/winchester-districtprobate-registry?q=Winchester

Organ Donation

If the deceased had expressed a wish to donate organs or tissues to help others after their death, or if it is the wish of the next of kin, please contact the Bereavement Office

0300 019 4125/4152/5752 or out of hours please ask the nursing staff to contact the on-call Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation via hospital switchboard.

Tissue donation is the gift of tissue, such as corneas and heart valves. Tissue can be retrieved up to 48 hours after someone dies. Corneal transplants help restore sight, and heart valves are used to help children born with heart defects and also adults with diseased or damaged valves.

Donations for Medical Research

If your relative or friend wished to donate their body to medical research you should contact the Medical School at the University of Southampton – telephone Southampton

02381 205763 as soon as possible and advise the Bereavement Team. Please note that the University may not always be able to accept a donation.