Agenda item

To receive an update on the Coroner Service and to present the 2023 Annual Report of the Senior Coroner, Andrew Hetherington.  The report will be presented by Karen Lounten, Service Manager Registrars, Coroners and Archives. 

Members received an update on the Coroner Service and the Annual Report of the Senior Coroner.  The report was presented by Karen Lounten, Interim Head of Service.

Karen Lounten raised the following key issues from the report:-

•       Background

•       The Coroner was an independent judicial officer appointed by, but not employed, by the County Council.  This enabled total impartiality.

•       Four assistant Coroners had been appointed on a sessional basis to provide cover for holidays etc. and provide resilience in the event of a major incident.

•       Excellent accommodation facilities had been provided in County Hall by Northumberland County Council enabling a high level of service to be offered to bereaved families and staff.  The Chief Coroner had been very impressed by the facilities available during a recent visit.

•       Four investigative staff were employed by the Police and worked in County Hall.

•       The high level of service was due to a team effort between the Coroner’s staff, the Police and Northumberland County Council.

•       Role and Purpose of the Coroner

•       The role of the Coroner was to investigate and possibly hold an inquest into violent or unnatural deaths, where the cause was unknown or a death which happened in custody or state detention.

•       The purpose of an inquest was not to determine civil or criminal liability but who determine who the person was, where, when and how they died.

•       It was good practice to produce an Annual Report outlining the work, the challenges and achievements.

•       In 2022, 2,023 cases were referred to the Coroner although many cases were discontinued when the death was found to be from natural causes.  270 open inquests had been held and 732 post mortems.

•       Cases took approximately 26.5 weeks to process.  There were no cases which had not been concluded within 12 months.

•       There had been a slight increase in the number of deaths since 2019.

•       NSECH at Cramlington received seriously unwell people from all over the region which had led to increased demand for the service as it was the place of death rather than the home address of the deceased which determined where the death was registered.

•       Trends and Patterns

•       There had been an increase in the number of suicide conclusions.  One explanation could be the consequence of a change in the standard of proof from ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ to ‘on the balance of probability’.

•       It was not clear to what extent the COVID 19 pandemic may have affected these figures.  The service had operated as near to normally as possible during the Pandemic aided by the excellent facilities and ability to use technology to assist with attendance.

•       Next Steps

•       There would be dialogue with the Police with a view to increasing resources.  Northumberland had the second highest demand in the region in terms of cases but fewer officers.

•       Discussions were ongoing with NHS colleagues regarding non-invasive post mortem facilities and body storage facilities.

•       The provision of a Medical Examiner system was long awaited and although may reduce the case load, the cases referred to the Coroner may become more complex.

•       The Senior Coroner had extended his thanks to Northumberland County Council, NHS and Police colleagues for their contribution towards providing an excellent service for Northumberland.

The following comments were made:-

•       The suicide rate had spiked in 2021 and then reduced.  It was noted that the number of suicides was small, although the rate was high and the small numbers could skew rates so caution was needed when interpreting these data.

•       Where emergency hospitals such as NSECH operated across borders, it would be useful if the figures reflected the reduction in cases elsewhere.

•       The inequalities theme was not referred to at all in the report.  Karen Lounten agreed to investigate and report back.

•       Data regarding demographic changes could also be added to future reports

RESOLVED that the presentation be received.