Ministry of Justice
Printable version E-mail this to a friend

Coroner reform: "bereaved families' needs are central" says Bridget Prentice

Coroner reform: "bereaved families' needs are central" says Bridget Prentice

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE News Release (060/08) issued by The Government News Network on 18 June 2008

The needs of bereaved people will be placed firmly at the centre of the reformed coroner system Justice Minister Bridget Prentice made clear today when she published a new draft Charter that details the level of service that the bereaved should expect from the coroner service.

The latest draft Charter for the Bereaved details the services people should expect and sets out the rights of redress if services are not delivered. It also explains appeal rights against particular decisions taken by coroners in individual cases. This draft reflects responses received from a wide range of interested parties since the Charter was first published in 2006.
Bridget Prentice said:

"The loss of a loved one is extremely difficult for any family to deal with. The thought of a coroner's investigation can compound the grief and distress. We have listened carefully to bereaved families and I am pleased to be issuing a new Charter that will put their needs at the centre of a reformed system.

"Families expect to be treated sensitively, have the coroners' process explained to them and receive information they need. They also want the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the coroner process. The updated Charter published today provides an opportunity for views to be taken into account before it is laid before Parliament alongside the Coroners and Death Certification Bill."

Debbie Kerslake, Chief Executive of Cruse Bereavement Care, said:

"We welcome the latest draft of the Charter for the Bereaved and will be commenting on it in the course of the consultation period. We aim to promote the well-being of bereaved people, and this Charter will help to ensure that families who come into contact with the Coroner system will be treated more sensitively in future."

The main improvements to the Charter are:

* a new requirement for coroners or coroner's officers to contact families at least every three months to explain the status of the case and the reason for any delay;
* provisions to ensure that any disclosure of documents made to families should be free of charge;
* provisions to ensure that families will receive copies of any "lessons learned" reports and responses to them;
* a new provision to ensure that families are aware they can report a death to the coroner's office personally if they believe that a professional agency should have reported a death and has failed to do so;
* an extension of the time limit for appeals against a coroner's final decision in a case to 60 working days (from 40 days);
* clarification that the Chief Coroner is likely to set separate minimum service standards in relation to specific types of death (e.g. epilepsy, mesothelioma) or to specific types of people who have died (e.g. children, military personnel); and
* a new "purpose of the coroner service" section added to the beginning of the Charter.

The Government intends the Charter to be implemented following the Parliamentary passage of the Coroners and Death Certification Bill, which is included in the draft legislative programme for the 2008-09 parliamentary session.

Notes to editors

1. Public consultation on the Charter for the Bereaved commenced in June 2006. Further informal consultations followed involving those working in the system and several voluntary sector groups.

2. The Coroners and Death Certification Bill combines proposals to modernise the coroner system with Department of Health proposals to establish an independent body of medical examiners to scrutinise the causes of death given by doctors on death certificates in those cases which are not referred to the coroner.

3. The draft Charter will be available on the Ministry of Justice website: http://www.justice.gov.uk.

http://www.justice.gov.uk

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story