When should it be done? of Inquest

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In most cases, when someone dies, a GP or hospital doctor can certify the medical cause of death, which is then registered by the Registrar of Births and Deaths.

Approximately a third of all deaths in England are reported to the coroner. The coroner may then decide to order a post-mortem.

A death occurring in the following situations is reported to the coroner by the police or by a doctor. The Registrar may also report a death to the coroner.

When the doctor attending the patient had not seen them within 14 days before or after death.
The death was violent or unnatural, or occurred under suspicious circumstances.
The cause of death is unknown or uncertain.
The death was caused by an industrial disease or related to the deceasedâ€™s employment or to an accident, violence, neglect, abortion, or poisoning.
The death occurred in prison or in police custody.
The deceased was detained under the Mental Health Act.
The death may have been contributed to by the actions of the deceased (e.g. overdose, self-injury, or drug abuse).
The death took place within 24 hours of admission to hospital.
The death may have been related to a medical procedure or treatment.
The death occurred during an operation or before recovery from the anaesthetic.

In these cases the coroner may arrange a post- mortem. They will then arrange an inquest unless the post-mortem shows that death was due to natural causes, or has established the cause of sudden death. Approximately 62% of the deaths reported to the coroner undergo post-mortems, with approximately 12% of reported deaths resulting in inquests.

The Registrar must await the coronerâ€™s report, before registering the death.