There may be a time where you may need to refer to your local coroner in the circumstances of a patient’s death. If this is the case you may find the information below useful.
Electronic Referral System
The electronic referral system was introduced locally from late 2018 and practices should now have access to this system. All referrals should be submitted using the e-portal and referrals via telephone or email will no longer be accepted. The LMC has been liaising with local Coroners office colleagues with feedback from GP practices.
This manual is designed to help you when submitting a new referral of a death where you feel that it should be reported to the Coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen. There is a FAQ section at the end of the manual. However, if this does not answer your specific question or you have a problem accessing the portal please email CoronersPortal@lancashire.gov.uk or ring 01772 536792 where colleagues will be able to support you with any further queries and update the FAQs with any common queries.
In May 2020, the Coroners announced planned improvements to the software for referring a death to the Coroner in this letter.
Coroners’ Court Fees and Allowances
Doctors may be called by a Coroner to give evidence at an inquest either as a professional or an expert witness, or as a pathologist who undertook the post-mortem. If you have been called to a Coroner’s Court then you may claim for allowances, travel expenses and witness fees. For more information on the Coroner’s allowances, fees and expenses regulations please visit: The Coroners Allowances, Fees and Expenses Regulations 2013