UK Coroners Struggling Under Backlog of Unexpected Deaths – Media Blackout

Last month Senior Coroner Caroline Sumeray was given a formal warning by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) after one family was left waiting for four years.

In a statement Isle of Wight Council, which is responsible for providing coronial services, said it was working on a comprehensive recovery plan.

Mrs Cama said she understood there were delays but said she felt “let down” by the lack of communication.

“Not even a letter or phone call to say ‘sorry for the delay but just to let you know you’re not forgotten’, because right now we feel forgotten,” she said.

Kate May from Ryde has been waiting even longer for an inquest into the death of her father Ken Young, who died in October 2022 after tripping outside a GP surgery.

Until last week, her last contact with the coroner was in December 2022, when the service confirmed it had received her family statement in an email.

She said: “I’m livid, I have tried to keep that anger on a backburner because it’s not good for you when you are going through grief.”

Ms May said she worroed witnesses asked to give statements several years later may have forgotten key details.

“Our family needs closure, the rest of the world has moved on and I’m in limbo, mulling over what’s happened. We haven’t even yet got a proper death certificate,” she added.

Inquests are needed when a death is violent, unnatural, unexpected or unexplained.

They are meant to be completed within six months of the coroner being made aware of a death or “as soon as is reasonably practicable”.

‘Deeply regret the distress’

The Chief Coroner has a duty to report to the Lord Chancellor on cases over 12 months old in their annual report, with the 2024 update due to be published this autumn.

Ian Bridge, a barrister from No5 chambers who is a friend of Senior Coroner Sumeray, told the BBC she was “passionate about wanting to do the right thing and very thorough”.

He said his experience around the country was that “coroners have a difficult time because of a lack of resource – you get the feeling that it’s being run on a shoestring”.

Isle of Wight Council said it was working with Senior Coroner Sumeray to address the backlog of cases and strengthen the service for the future.

It blamed issues with recruitment and retentions of staff, as well as inadequate access to suitable court facilities, adding: “We deeply regret the distress this has caused to bereaved families.”

The council said the coroner continued to serve with “commitment and dedication” and the council hoped to restore “public confidence and ensure families receive the answers and support they deserve”.

The Ministry of Justice has said “Action is urgently being taken to address inquest delays on the Isle of Wight, including recruiting more assistant coroners and refurbishing a coroner’s court.”