What happens when a death is reported to the Coroner?
Where the cause of death is unexplained, sudden, due to an accident or violent, the death will be reported to HM Coroner.
The coroner will review the situation and decide if further investigations are required. If the coroner decides to investigate the death, the registrar of births and deaths must wait for the coroner to finish the investigation before the death can be registered.
This investigation may take time, for instance if there is to be an inquest, so you should liaise closely with the coroner’s office. But don’t let that stop you from contacting the funeral director as soon as possible, as preliminary arrangements can still be made whilst waiting for the coroner to release the body.
Process for deaths referred to HM Coroner:
IF CAUSE OF DEATH CLEAR
No further investigation required
The coroner will simply ask the hospital doctor, GP or another doctor known to the deceased to issue a cause of death certificate.
In this scenario, the medical practitioner will send the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) to a Medical Examiner, who will check that everything is in order. They will then notify the family that the MCCD has been sent to the registrar which means that you can proceed with registering the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The registrar will then send the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (also known as the Green Form) direct to your nominated funeral director.
IF CAUSE OF DEATH UNCLEAR
Post-mortem examination
The coroner will decide to investigate the case further, initially by way of a post-mortem examination. If this shows that the death was due to natural causes, the Coroner will release the body once no further examinations are needed and issue the paperwork for the funeral.
The medical practitioner is not required to send a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) to a Medical Examiner – instead, the coroner will provide details of where and when to register the death.
For cremations, the coroner will issue Cremation Form 6 to the funeral director.
Coroner’s Inquest
If the post-mortem examination proves inconclusive, the coroner will open an inquest to establish the cause of death. The coroner will often send an interim death certificate (Coroner’s Certificate of the Fact of Death) to the family and release the body before the inquest is completed so that the funeral can go ahead.
The family will not go to register the death, as the registrar cannot issue a death certificate until the investigation has been completed, so there is no Certificate for Burial or Cremation (Green Form) issued in this case.
When the coroner’s inquest has been completed the coroner will notify the registrar so that the death can be registered by the registrar. The family can then purchase copies of the death certificate from the registrar.
Visual guide to the process:
At White Rose Modern Funerals we help guide families through the process for when a death has been referred to HM Coroner. We will liaise directly with the Coroner’s Office and work to ensure that the funeral can go ahead with the minimum delay possible. For more information about arranging a funeral involving a referral to the coroner please call us on 020 3281 1045.Text
