Coroners' investigations will likely play a part of most doctors' professional careers, but attending an inquest or even providing a report to the coroner can still prove daunting for medical professionals. That's why it's important to understand the various processes and procedures, so you can be prepared if you're ever involved in a coroner's investigation.
Earlier in the year we surveyed members about your thoughts and experiences with coroners' investigations. The results showed that despite being a relatively common occurrence, a coroner's investigation can still cause concern and confusion for many doctors, with just 23% of respondents saying they'd feel prepared if called to an inquest, and 34% saying they wouldn't know what to expect.
Because of this, and as part of our expanding series of online resources, we recently held a live webinar with medico-legal adviser Dr Jerard Ross and MDU solicitor Helen Churchill, delving into the details of coroners' investigations and answering some of your most pressing questions.
If you weren't able to catch it live, you can watch a recording of the webinar again by clicking the link below.
The webinar covers:
- the role of the coroner
- which deaths should be notified to the coroner
- writing a report for the coroner
- appearing at an inquest
- inquests and the GMC.
Watch the webinar again here.