Coroner

When is a death reported to the Coroner

A death will be reported to the Coroner if (one of the following):

• no doctor has treated the deceased during their last illness
• the doctor looking after the patient did not see them in the last 14 days before or after death
• the death happened during an operation or while someone was recovering from anaesthetic
• the death was sudden, unexplained or happened under suspicious circumstances
• the death might have been caused by an industrial injury or disease
• the death might have been caused by accident, violence, neglect, abortion or poisoning
• the death happened in police custody or in prison
• the death happened in a hospital less than 24 hours after admission

What the Coroner will do

When a death is referred to the Coroner, they will either:

• decide no action is needed and inform the Registrar to continue with the death registration
• decide to hold a post mortem examination, in which case a Form 100B will be issued by the Coroner to the Registrar to be used instead of a medical cause of death certificate
• decide to hold an inquest (the Coroner's Office will advise you what to do in these circumstances)

Contact the Coroner

HM Coroner's Office for West Yorkshire (Eastern Area) covers the Local Authority areas of Leeds and Wakefield.

Phone:

Email:

Website: