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Avon Coroner - Obsolete

Checked: 23-10-2023 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-10-2025

Overview

The Avon Coroner website has information on when and how to report a death to the coroner. The Avon coroner area covers Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire as well as Bath and NE Somerset.

If you think a death might be unnatural contact the police as soon as possible. They will notify the Coroner’s Office if necessary.

New Notification of Death Regulations came into force on 1st October 2019. The full document can be accessed via the link and includes clarification of unnatural causes as below:

poisoning, including by an otherwise benign substance;
exposure to or contact with a toxic substance;
the use of a medicinal product, controlled drug or psychoactive substance;
violence;
trauma or injury;
self-harm;
neglect, including self-neglect;
the person undergoing a treatment or procedure of a medical or similar nature; or
an injury or disease attributable to any employment held by the person during the person’s lifetime;

Please note that requests for potentially confidential information pertaining to deceased individual/details of coroner’s report/recommendations cannot be made by phone, a written request (email or letter) will be required to disclose such information.

https://www.themdu.com/guidance-and-advice/guides/disclosure-after-death is helpful on the concept of disclosure after death.

Referral

From 4th October 2023, all referrals to the Coroner will be online through a link on our website: www.avon-coroner.com under the ‘Report a death’ tab.

The information requirements for the referral are unchanged, although the layout has altered. Access to the form is protected and the reference/password is: BS48 1UL. Please note the password must be entered exactly as it appears above i.e. capital letters and a space in the middle.

On completion of the information requirements, you will be asked to confirm that the information is true to the best of your knowledge and belief before the form is formally submitted. There is then an option to print the referral for your records.

There is also an option to upload any additional documents you wish to upload when you make the referral.

For any queries, or in the event of any technical issues, please contact the main office on 01275 461920 and press option 1 to speak to a coroner’s officer, or email: avoncoronersteam@bristol.gov.uk

Medical Examiner

Please go to the Death Certification and Cremation Forms page for advice about the Medical Examiner Service.

Resources

Guide to writing a coroners report

MPS Professional Report Guide

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.