Senior Coroners (SC) are independent judicial officers accountable to the High Court for legal decisions and to the Judicial Conduct Investigation Office for their conduct. SC services are not part of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) but are funded and managed locally. The provision of service is unusually not a corporate duty but a series of statutory duties placed upon SC They also have duties to provide the Chief Coroner and local authority with information, but neither of these manage or direct the service that the SC leads. A SC is a doctor or lawyer appointed by a local authority to investigate certain deaths. Kingston falls within the West London Senior Coroners jurisdiction.
There are 8 coronial jurisdictions in London. Each is staffed by a combination of administrative staff employed by lead local authorities and coroner’s officers employed by the police service. The City of London is very small and has its own police service. For the remaining 7 jurisdictions, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) employs and manages the coroner’s officers, while the SC is a council appointment. Not all deaths will go through the SC and not every death referred to the SC will require a full investigation or inquest.
When a person dies, where required, a referral will be sent to the SC. This may not always happen the same day as the death, but should be within 48 hours. The referral would normally come from a medical professional, such as an Attending Practitioner (Doctor).
Once a referral is received, there will be an initial investigation into the circumstances of the death by a coroner’s officer. This is so the facts of the death can be presented to the SC to make a decision on the next steps. The decision could be:
Where a death has been referred to the coroner and they have decided they are not under any duty to investigate the death the Form CN1a will be used to refer the matter back to the AP. (The Medical Examiner (ME) will be copied into this communication)
When the SC decides that they are not under a duty to investigate a death and informs the ME that the case is being referred in the absence of an AP, meaning that the completion of an ME MCCD is required. Form CN1b will be sent from the SC to the ME
When the SC’s duty to investigate a death is engaged, an investigation is discontinued because the cause of death becomes clear before an inquest (with or without a post-mortem examination). Form CN2 is sent from the SC to the registrar and usually the SCl complete an order for burial or a cremation certificate and sent to a funeral director
A post - mortem will take place where there is no clear cause of death and could apply to any death. However, the deceased can be released shortly after the post mortem has taken place, once signed off by the SC. This could take up to a week after the referral of the death. Following the post mortem there will be an investigation, which may lead to an inquest (SC investigation). A death cannot be registered until completion of the inquest
Families will be contacted by a coroner’s officer, but this may not be immediately after the death as the coroner’s officer will need to investigate the death first so they can inform the family of the full facts and next steps. Depending on the complexity of the case you may be contacted within a couple of days with an outcome, but it may take longer.
For applications to remove a body from England, the coroner will need the original passport, driving licence or birth certificate of the deceased person. If you do not have any of these original documents, please advise the coroner’s officer as soon as possible.
For more information on coroner’s services generally please see the Ministry of Justice booklet guide to Coroner Services.
The Coroners’ Courts Support Service (CCSS) is an independent voluntary organisation whose trained volunteers offer emotional support and practical help to bereaved families, witnesses and others attending an Inquest at the Coroner’s Court.
HMCoroner@lbhf.gov.uk
020 8753 2893 or 020 8753 2739
Please contact the Kingston and Richmond referral team, depending on the borough where the death occurred. West London Coroner's office phone lines are open from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm.
For deaths in Richmond or Kingston
RichmondandKingstonCoroners@lbhf.gov.uk
Saffron Batten: 020 8753 5135
John Payton: 020 8753 6448
Lisa Young
Lisa.young@lbhf.gov.uk
020 8753 2205
West London Coroner's Court
25 Bagley's Lane
Fulham
SW6 2QA
Fulham Broadway on the District line. The Coroners' Court is located next to the Bagleys Lane depot. There is a ramp to the entrance and a lift to the second floor.