Coroners Cases
If a death occurs suddenly, or if the deceased has not been attended by his/her own doctor at some time during the previous 14 days, the death will be reported to Her Majesty's Coroner. It is the duty of the Coroner in these circumstances to establish the cause of death, normally by ordering a post-mortem examination, and only once this has been done will the funeral be able to take place. Usually, the Coroner's procedures takes a few days to complete and the relatives will be kept informed of the situation by the Coroner's Office and told at what stage they are able to register the death.

If the death is due to unnatural causes an Inquest is necessary. This may be completed quickly, or opened and adjourned to a later date, in which case the Coroner will normally release the body to enable a funeral to take place and an interim certificate can be issued to assist with estate matters. When the Inquest is complete the death is automatically registered by a procedure of the Coroner.