Who decides if an inquest is required?

jc bamford

What is the statutory position regarding Inquests? Who decides if an inquest is warranted? What are the criteria? Do the next of kin have any way of finding out the reason an inquest was, or was not, held?

McCrack

http://www.coronerdublincity.ie/faqs/inquest.htm

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/death/sudden_or_unexplained_death/inquests.html

jc bamford

Thanks for the links but they do not answer my questions. In most cases of sudden death the post mortem establishes the cause of death, yet an inquest is held in some cases and not in others.

drkpower

jc bamford wrote: »

Thanks for the links but they do not answer my questions. In most cases of sudden death the post mortem establishes the cause of death, yet an inquest is held in some cases and not in others.

You must have missed this bit:

An inquest must be held by law when death is (or may be) due to unnatural causes.

The list of potentially unnatural causes is lengthy, but includes the following:
Deaths which are directly or indirectly the result of any surgical or medical treatment or any procedure, or a death during a surgical procedure or while under anaesthesia;
• A death where there is any allegation of medical negligence, misconduct or malpractice on the part of any registered medical practitioner, nurse or other person;
• Deaths from septicaemia which may be caused by injury;
• Death from an abortion (other than natural), certain stillbirths and maternal deaths;
• The death of a person in prison, including deaths in hospital while a sentence is being served;
• The death of a patient in a mental hospital;
• The death of a child in care or detention;
• Where a person is brought in dead (BID) or dead on arrival (DOA) to a hospital’s accident and emergency department;
• Deaths occurring in an accident and emergency department and certain deaths which occur in particular departments of a hospital, for example, the radiology department;
• Where a death occurs within 24 hours of admission to hospital or the administration of an anaesthetic, surgical procedure or any procedure;
• Where a patient dies in hospital, having been recently transferred or discharged from a nursing home or other residential institution;
• A death in any public or private institution for the care of elderly or infirm persons;
• Any death involving a healthcare-associated infection.

Google it.

jc bamford

Who makes the call? Or should I say, Who has the statutory responsibility to make the call?

drkpower

The Coroner.

coylemj

Coroners Act 1962, all human life death is there.....

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1962/en/act/pub/0009/index.html