Coroners, Post Mortems and Inquests In some circumstances the death may have to be referred to the Coroners Office. The Coroner is a doctor or lawyer appointed by a local authority to investigate certain deaths. These may include an unexplained or sudden death, an accidental death, or if the death was a result of an industrial disease for example, mesothelioma. This is also the case if someone has not been seen by their GP within 28 days of dying, should this be at home or at Willow Burn. (This is not a complete list) Referrals to the Coroner are infrequent and should not be a cause for concern. The role of the Coroner is to establish the cause of a person’s death; therefore, in some cases, a post mortem and inquest may be ordered. The family will be kept informed of what is happening throughout this process. The death cannot be registered whilst the Coroner is still investigating it. However, this does not necessarily mean that the funeral will have to be delayed. A Coroner’s interim certificate can be issued so that you can continue with the funeral or other practical arrangements.
The role of the Medical Examiner New government guidance has introduced the role of the Medical Examiner. The role of the Medical Examiner is to scrutinise the hospital records, and to discuss with the treating clinician the medical cause of death. The Medical Examiner will then speak to the relatives to discuss the medical cause of death. The aim is that they will make it easier for you to understand the wording on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and will check all details before the certificate is issued. This means you may receive a call from the Medical Examiner to discuss the medical certificate in the first few days of your loss.
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