'THE VIOLIN STOPPED PLAYING'
The Melody though, lingers, in my head it
keeps playing;
In my heart, the sweet serenade is felt;
Deep in my heart, deep in my heart,
the answer, it was in me;
Stop.
The tune is lost, it's gone, but not
all the strings are broken;
Only one string, the music has stopped for the Violin has stopped playing.
I can play the remaining strings, it won't be the same though, the melody, the tune, the music, won't be the same, won't be sweet, one string is fractured, the Violin has to stop playing
When the Coroner is involved -
WHAT TO DO
If someone dies suddenly or unexpectedly, or there is uncertainty about why they died, their death may need to be referred to the Coroner.
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For families, this can be particularly difficult. Alongside the shock of an unexpected death, there may suddenly be ambulance crews, police officers, unfamiliar procedures and questions about what will happen to the person next.
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The involvement of the Coroner or police does not necessarily mean that anything
suspicious has happened.
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Their role is to establish what has happened and, where necessary, investigate the
circumstances of the death.
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You do not need to understand everything at once.
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Here is what you can generally expect, one step at a time.​
What happens next?
Not every death will involve every stage.
For example, the Coroner may decide that a post-mortem examination or inquest is not necessary.
Step 1 - The emergency services may attend
If someone appears to have died suddenly or unexpectedly at home or somewhere outside a hospital or healthcare setting, call 999. The ambulance service and police may attend. If the death happens within a care home, nursing home, hospice or hospital, the staff will follow their own procedures and make the necessary calls for you. Depending upon the circumstances, ambulance clinicians may attempt resuscitation or confirm that the person has died. The police may also attend. Why are the police here? Police attendance following an unexpected death does not automatically mean that the death is being treated as suspicious. Part of their role can be to gather information on behalf of the Coroner and establish the circumstances surrounding the death. They may ask questions about: - what happened; - when the person was last seen; - their medical history; - medication; - who was present; - anything unusual that happened beforehand; - the circumstances in which the person was found. These questions can sometimes feel intrusive when you are shocked and grieving, but they are part of establishing what has happened.
Step 2 - You may be asked not to touch or move anything
Following some unexpected deaths, the police may need the person and the immediate surroundings to remain undisturbed until they have completed their initial enquiries. This means you may be asked not to move, wash, dress or touch the person for the time being. You may also be asked not to move objects around them. In some circumstances, the place where someone has died may initially need to be treated as a potential scene for investigation until the police and Coroner are satisfied about what has happened. This does not mean that somebody believes a crime has occurred. It means that, until the circumstances are understood, important information must not inadvertently be disturbed. If you are unsure whether you can touch, sit beside or spend time with the person, ask the police officer or Coroner's Officer supporting you.
Step 3 - The death is referred to the Coroner
A Coroner is an independent judicial office holder responsible for investigating certain deaths. A death may be referred to the Coroner where, for example: the cause of death is unknown; the death was sudden or unexpected; the death may have been violent or unnatural; the person died following an accident or injury; there are concerns about the circumstances of the death; the death occurred in custody or state detention; or there are other reasons why the normal medical certification process cannot take place. A referral does not necessarily mean that there will be a post-mortem or an inquest. The Coroner will first consider the information available and decide what needs to happen next.
If further investigation is required, arrangements will normally be made for the person to be taken from the place where they died to a designated mortuary. The police or those acting on behalf of the Coroner will arrange this. A funeral director contracted to work for the Coroner may undertake the transfer. This does not mean you have chosen that funeral director The funeral director who takes someone from the place of death on behalf of the police or Coroner is undertaking a Coroner's transfer. You remain completely free to choose the funeral director who will ultimately care for the person and arrange their funeral. You do not have to use the funeral director who attended at the time of death. You can contact Gentle Endings now You do not have to wait for the Coroner's investigation to finish before contacting us. Although we cannot interfere with the Coroner's investigation or bring the person into our care until they have been released, we can begin supporting you straight away. There can be something reassuring about knowing that, while the Coroner undertakes the work they need to do, someone is already alongside you looking after what comes next. We can: - talk through what has happened; - help you understand the Coroner's process; - answer questions about what may happen next; - begin talking about the funeral; - start gathering ideas, photographs, music or readings; - discuss burial or cremation; - liaise with the Coroner's Office where appropriate; - prepare for the person's release into our care; - talk about spending time with them afterwards; - and simply be someone you can call when everything feels unfamiliar. You do not need to make all the funeral decisions now. Sometimes the most useful thing is simply to establish contact, so you know who is there when you need them. Gentle Endings Funerals 0800 77 202 44
The Coroner's investigation
Step 5 - The Coroner makes initial enquiries
The Coroner's Office will gather information about the person and the circumstances surrounding their death. This may include speaking with: - the police; - the person's GP; - hospital doctors; - other healthcare professionals; witnesses; and family members. You will usually have contact with a Coroner's Officer, who acts as an important link between the Coroner and the family. They can explain what is happening and keep you informed about the investigation. You may be asked to nominate one family member as the main point of contact.
Step 7 - What happens after the post-mortem?
Once the post-mortem has taken place, the pathologist reports their findings to the Coroner. There are then broadly two possibilities. If the cause of death is established and no further investigation is required The Coroner may conclude their involvement. The appropriate paperwork will be issued so that the death can be registered and the funeral can proceed. If further investigation is required The Coroner may decide that an inquest is necessary. Further tests, including toxicology or examination of tissue samples, may occasionally be required before all the information is available. These investigations can take considerably longer.
Step 8 - The Coroner decides whether an inquest is needed
An inquest is a formal investigation conducted by the Coroner. Its purpose is usually to establish: - who died; - when they died; - where they died; and - how their death came about. An inquest is not the same as a criminal trial, and its purpose is not to determine criminal or civil liability. The full inquest may not take place for several months - and complex cases can take longer. You do not normally have to wait for the inquest to hold the funeral This is something families are often understandably worried about. Once the Coroner is satisfied that they no longer need to retain the person's body, they can release them into the care of your chosen funeral director. The necessary paperwork will be issued so that the funeral can take place. The Coroner's investigation can then continue separately.
CAN WE SPEND TIME WITH THEM AGAIN?
If you choose Gentle Endings, we will liaise with the hospital and arrange to bring the person into our care once the hospital has completed everything required for their release. You do not need to coordinate between us. We will do that for you. Once they are in our care, we will talk with you about what happens next and anything you would like us to do for them.
What about Ceremonial Care of the Body?
If you would have liked to be involved in caring for the person after their death, please talk to us. Our Ceremonial Care service at the place of death is straightforward when somebody has died at home and may sometimes be possible within a hospice or care setting, subject to the agreement and practical requirements of that setting. Hospitals operate differently. Hospital wards and mortuaries have their own clinical procedures, facilities and policies, and it may not be possible for an external practitioner to undertake Ceremonial Care within the hospital itself. That does not mean the opportunity has necessarily been lost. Once the person has been released by the hospital and brought into our care, we can talk with you about what may still be possible. You may wish to be involved in: washing and tending to them; anointing them; brushing or arranging their hair; dressing or wrapping them; taking locks of hair; taking fingerprints; creating hand casts or other keepsakes; arranging flowers; playing music; saying prayers or blessings; incorporating personal, cultural or spiritual traditions; or simply spending some quiet time together. You can participate as much or as little as feels right. You can also ask us to undertake their Ceremonial Care on your behalf, without you being present or participating yourself. There is no fundamental right or wrong. [Discover Ceremonial Care of the Body]
A few things to remember
Police involvement does not automatically mean something suspicious has happened. A Coroner referral does not automatically mean there will be a post-mortem. A post-mortem does not automatically mean there will be an inquest. If there is an inquest, you normally do not have to wait for it to take place before holding the funeral. The funeral director who transports someone on behalf of the Coroner does not have to become your funeral director. And perhaps most importantly: You do not need to understand the whole process today. The Coroner's Officer can guide you through the investigation, and we can help you with everything surrounding the person's care and funeral.
Contacting your local Coroner
The Coroner responsible will normally be determined by where the person died, rather than where they lived.
Kent & Medway Coroner's office+
Kent & Medway Coroner Service Telephone: 03000 410502 Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm Kent and Medway Coroners Service Oakwood House Oakwood Park Maidstone Kent ME16 8AE Email: KentandMedwayCoroners@kent.gov.uk
​East Sussex Coroner's Office +
East Sussex Coroner's Court and Office Westfield House St Anne's Crescent Lewes East Sussex BN7 1UE Telephone: 01424 723030 Email: coronersofficers@eastsussex.gov.uk General administration: Email: Coroners.OfficeEastSussex@eastsussex.gov.uk Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8am–1pm and 2pm–4pm
Surrey Coroner's Office +
Surrey Coroner's Office HM Coroner's Court Station Approach Woking Surrey GU22 7AP Telephone: 01483 404530 Email: coronersoffice@surreycoroner.gov.uk
London Coroner's office +
London CoronersLondon is divided into a number of separate Coroner areas. The office you need will usually depend upon where the person died.
If you are unsure which Coroner's Office is dealing with the death, the hospital, police or Coroner's Officer should be able to tell you.
CITY OF LONDON City of London Coroner's Court 4th Floor, Central Criminal Court Old Bailey London EC4M 7EH Telephone: 020 7332 1598 Email: coroner@cityoflondon.gov.uk EAST LONDON East London Coroner's Court Queens Road Walthamstow London E17 8QP Telephone: 020 8496 5000 Email: coroners@walthamforest.gov.uk INNER NORTH LONDON - Hackney & Tower Hamlets Poplar Coroner's Court 127 Poplar High Street London E14 0AE Telephone: 020 7538 1201 Email: coroner.poplar@camden.gov.uk INNER NORTH LONDON - Camden & Islington St Pancras Coroner's Court Camley Street London N1C 4PP Telephone: 020 7974 4545 Email: coroner.stpancras@camden.gov.uk INNER SOUTH LONDON Southwark Coroner's Court 1 Tennis Street London SE1 1YD Telephone: 020 7525 4200 INNER WEST LONDON Inner West London Coroner's Court 33 Tachbrook Street London SW1V 2JR Telephone: 020 7641 1212 Email: innerwestlondoncoronerscourt@westminster.gov.uk NORTH LONDON Barnet Coroner's Court 29 Wood Street Barnet EN5 4BE Telephone: 020 8447 7680 Email: admin.beh@hmc-northlondon.co.uk SOUTH LONDON South London Coroner's Service 2nd Floor, Davis House Robert Street Croydon CR0 1QQ Telephone: 020 8313 1883 Email: admin.coroner@croydon.gov.uk WEST LONDON West London Coroner's Service 25 Bagleys Lane Fulham London SW6 2QA Telephone: 020 8753 6800 Email: HMCoroner@lbhf.gov.uk
WEST SUSSEX, BRIGHTON & HOVE Coroner's Office +
West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Coroner's Office Woodvale Lewes Road Brighton BN2 3QB Telephone: 0330 222 5560 Email: hm.coroner@westsussex.gov.uk