NAFD welcomes chief coroner’s report addressing case delays

The NAFD has welcomed chief coroner Thomas Teague’s annual report to the Lord Chancellor for 2023, as it placed emphasis on addressing coroner’s delays. 

By resolving delays, the trade body believes it would reduce the impact on the death management process and “improve the experience of bereaved people”.

In the report, Teague said: “Coroner cases should be conducted without delay – the posthumous duty of the family to the deceased includes ensuring that the body is disposed of with dignity and in accordance with the deceased person’s beliefs, that the death is registered, and that the estate is dealt with as the deceased person would have wanted.

“Where a death has been reported to a coroner, the family cannot arrange for their loved one to be buried or cremated until the coroner has released the body. The registration of the death is also delayed until the coroner’s investigation concludes. There is therefore a tension between the coroner’s duty to investigate and the family’s need to fulfil their obligations to their loved one.

He added: “This tension is particularly acute where the deceased person held religious beliefs that are incompatible with delayed burial. Avoiding unnecessary delay must therefore be a key priority for the coroner service.”