A guide to coroner services for bereaved people (2020)

Summary

People are given this Guide when someone close to them has died and their death has been reported to the coroner or if they have been called as a witness at an inquest. The coroner is involved in the death because the coroner needs to make enquiries to find out what happened and how the person died. For most people, the inquest process is new.

Preparing for an inquest can be difficult, and some find it hard to find their way through the legal processes on top of the distress caused by the death.

This guide, from the Ministry of Justice, is designed to help bereaved families understand the coroner process.