[Margaret Collins (Corner’s Lead – Black Country) will be present].
Minutes:
The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country outlined the Coroner’s Service in Wolverhampton. It was the first time they had been asked to attend a Council Scrutiny Panel. Wolverhampton was one of the four areas covered by the Black Country Coroner, the other three being Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall. On average the Office dealt with 1200-1300 deaths from Wolverhampton per year. It was a small team of ten people, which included the Coroner. Every year they dealt with approximately 4,500 deaths.
The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country stated that since November 2015, they had introduced a new computer system called “Civica Coroners”. The Coroner, Mr Siddique was appointed in September 2014 and had been very supportive of the move away from paper systems to electronic. A Portal had been added to the system in the latter part of 2016, which led to significant efficiencies. It allowed GPs and Hospital Doctors to report deaths 24 hours day, seven days a week into the Coroner’s system. The Portal was also linked into Funeral Directors and Registrar’s. The introduction of the system had significantly improved efficiency and had revolutionised the way the Coroner’s Office worked. The Black Country area was one of the first Coroner’s areas to go live with the Portal system. There were many Coroner areas in the country still awaiting to launch the Portal system. The Black Country Coroner’s Service was considered a centre of excellence and were regularly consulted about the system.
The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country remarked that they operated a triage system in the Coroner’s Office. As a death came through into the Coroner’s system, there would be an initial triage exercise. If a death could be actioned quickly, a simple Form A would be issued. The Coroner by law had to investigate all deaths including the simple cases. Some cases required an investigation or an inquest. The Coroner Office Team was split in two different categories, those that dealt with community deaths and those that dealt with inquests. She stated that for all deaths referred to them, they always spoke to the family. This was not the case for all Coroner’s in the Country. She felt it was important as it helped to keep a level of independence to the process.
Cllr Sohail Khan asked about the out of hours repatronisation phone service. The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country responded that they tried to mirror the service with the Registrar’s, some of which were open 8am-1pm at Weekends and Bank Holidays. The Assistant Coroner’s were available between these times and the four Registration Services that fell within the jurisdiction had their contact details.
Cllr Khan asked if the Coroner’s Service, working alongside Registrar’s, could have an out of hours service (where there were staff in the actual Coroner’s Office) at Weekends and Bank Holidays. There was a discussion about an out of hours service. The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country said that at the present time they would not be able to carry out the investigations required. She gave the example of if a post mortem was required or a digital autopsy. These would be carried out by a pathologist, who were independent to the Coroner’s Service. The resources could also not be justified to meet the needs, as it was rare for a death to be reported at Weekends. Cllr Khan commented that demand could increase in the future and it was important to make preparations. Discussions with Funeral Directors across the Black Country had led him to believe that a full out of hours Coroner’s Service was required. The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country offered to report his comments back to the Coroner.
The Coroner’s Lead for the Black Country remarked that they did their best to accommodate families, but they had to ensure legal processes were followed, which included ensuring there was a correct cause of death. They always tried to explain the processes to families to ensure they had a good understanding and kept them up to date.
The Chair asked how long the processes normally took for a post-mortem. In response, the Coroner’s Office Lead for the Black Country commented that they worked on a guideline of three days. The examination normally took place on the third day, where the cause of death would normally be known.