Coroner's office

South Staffordshire Coroner

Mr Andrew Barkley (Interim Senior Coroner)

Supported by:

• 3 Assistant Coroners

  • Emma Serrano
  • Duncan Ritchie
  • Daniel Howe

• 5 Coroner's Officers

• 2 (FTE) Administration Staff

Coroners investigate deaths that are reported to them. They do so as sensitively as possible, but must make sure that proper enquiries are made.

A coroner can issue forms allowing a death to be registered as a natural death, order an autopsy or open an inquest or investigation.

Information leaflets

• What if a death is referred to a Coroner?

• View  A short guide to the Coroner's services on the government's website.

Contact the Coroner's office:

Mr A Barkley (HM Coroner for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent)

Office hours

• Monday - Thursday 9:00am - 5:00pm

• Friday 9:00am - 4:30pm

Hospital, GP and register office referrals

Hospitals, GPs and register offices must refer deaths using the coroner’s web portal.

Any attachments, such as previous medical history / reports, may be added at the time of the referral using the 'upload file' facility located on the referrer details page.

Upcoming Inquest Hearings

• Hearings Tuesday 3 October 2023
  
  
• Hearings Wednesday 11 October 2023

• Hearings Tuesday 17 October 2023

• Hearings Thursday 19 October 2023

The Coroners’ Courts Support Service is a registered charity whose volunteers give emotional and practical support to families and other witnesses attending inquests.

What if a death is sent to a coroner?

Deaths due to natural disease or illness

The coroner's office will issue a certificate giving the cause of death. They will send it to the registrar once the enquiries have finished. The coroner's office will let you know when you can register the death.

Where cause of death is unclear

The doctor, hospital or registrar will report the death to the coroner. There will be a delay before you can register the death while the coroner holds an inquest.

Find out more about the coroners office.

Inquests

An inquest is not a trial, it is an enquiry to find out who the deceased was and how, when and where they died.

A coroner will order an inquest on a deaths which:

• appear to be due to violence or neglect
• are unnatural
• are sudden and of unknown cause
• have happened in legal custody

The coroner will give you an interim death certificate. This is so you can deal with the estate. They will tell you how to get the full certificate when they have finished the inquest.

The coroner will keep information as confidential as possible. The system is based on public court hearings. The coroner can explain the reasons why they cannot keep some information confidential. This is as long as you have a right to know.

View more about inquests on the NHS website.