In certain circumstances, a doctor cannot issue a medical certificate of Cause of Death and the coroner has to be informed of the death. If the death was sudden, not due to natural causes, following an accident, a fall, a recent operation or if the deceased was in receipt of an Industrial Pension, Industrial Injuries Benefit or War Pension, the coroner will most probably be involved. The role of the coroner is to determine the cause of death.
Sometimes, the coroner gives permission for the doctor to still issue the medical Cause of Death Certificate, but on some occasions, they may need to investigate further. If the coroner does need to do further investigation, you will be contacted by a coroner’s officer. The coroner’s officer will then discuss the recent circumstances of the death and gather any additional information they may need. After the coroner has made some inquiries and possibly completed a Post-Mortem, you will be advised if you are able to register the death. If the coroner has decided to hold an investigation or an inquest, you cannot register the Death until further notice, but the coroner will issue Interim Death Certificates which enable the funeral to be held whilst the paperwork is finalised.