The Coroners Rules 1984

Coroner to notify persons of post-mortem to be made

7.—(1) Where a coroner directs or requests a legally qualified medical practitioner to make a post-mortem examination, the coroner shall notify the persons and bodies set out in paragraph (2) of the date, hour and place at which the examination will be made, unless it is impracticable to notify any such persons or bodies or to do so would cause the examination to be unduly delayed.

(2) The persons and bodies to be notified by the coroner are as follows:—

(a)any relative of the deceased who has notified the coroner of his desire to attend, or be represented at, the post-mortem examination;

(b)the deceased's regular medical attendant;

(c)if the deceased died in a hospital, the hospital;

(d)if the death of the deceased may have been caused by any of the diseases or injuries within Rule 6(2) (other than occupational asthma), the pneumoconiosis medical panel for the area;

(e)if the death of the deceased may have been caused by any accident or disease notice of which is required by or under any enactment to be given—

(i)to an enforcing authority, the appropriate inspector appointed by, or representative of, that authority; or

(ii)to an inspector appointed by an enforcing authority, that inspector;

(f)any government department which has notified the coroner of its desire to be represented at the examination;

(g)if the chief officer of police has notified the coroner of his desire to be represented at the examination, the chief officer of police.

(3) Any person or body mentioned in paragraph (2) shall be entitled to be represented at a post-mortem examination by a legally qualified medical practitioner, or if any such person is a legally qualified medical practitioner he shall be entitled to attend the examination in person; but the chief officer of police may be represented by a member of the police force of which he is chief officer.

(4) Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this Rule shall be deemed to limit the discretion of the coroner to notify any person of the date, hour and place at which a post-mortem examination will be made and to permit him to attend the examination.