There is a new senior coroner for Somerset.

Samantha Marsh has been in post as Acting Senior Coroner for Somerset since the retirement of Tony Williams in March 2022, but now her role has been made official.

Mrs Marsh has been a Coroner since 2016 having previously worked as Residential Property Solicitor.

 The appointment was made following an open competition and after receiving the consent of the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor.

What does a Coroner do?

Coroners are independent judicial officers who investigate deaths reported to them. They will make whatever inquiries are necessary to find out the cause of death, this includes ordering a post-mortem examination, obtaining witness statements and medical records, or holding an inquest.

A death is reported to a Coroner in the following situations:

• a doctor did not treat the person during their last illness
• a doctor did not see or treat the person for the condition from which they died within 28 days of death
• the cause of death was sudden, violent or unnatural such as an accident, or suicide
• the cause of death was murder
• the cause of death was an industrial disease of the lungs such as asbestosis
• the death occurred in any other circumstances that may require investigation

A death in hospital should be reported if:

• there is a question of negligence or misadventure about the treatment of the person who died
• they died before a provisional diagnosis was made and the general practitioner is not willing to certify the cause
• the patient died as the result of the administration of an anaesthetic

A death should be reported to a Coroner by the police, when:

• a dead body is found
• death is unexpected or unexplained
• a death occurs in suspicious circumstances

What happens after a death is reported to the coroner?

A Coroner will first gather information to investigate whether a death was due to natural causes and if a doctor can certify the medical cause of death.

The Coroner will ask the police to gather the information about the death. This will usually include speaking to the deceased's family, anyone caring for the deceased and anyone who was there when the death happened.

If a doctor cannot certify the death simply because they have not treated the patient in the last 28 days, then the Coroner will discuss the cause of death with the doctor. If a Coroner is satisfied that death was from natural causes and no further investigation is necessary, then they may accept the medical cause of death that a doctor gives and issue a Coroner's notification to allow the death to be registered.

If a doctor cannot certify the medical cause of death then a Coroner will investigate the death and may order a post-mortem examination to be carried out.

What is an inquest?

An Inquest is an investigation into a death which appears to be due to unknown, violent or unnatural causes, designed to find out who the deceased was, and where, when and how (meaning by what means) they passed.

In some inquests, for example where the person has died whilst in custody or state detention, the scope of the inquest can be widened to include the broader circumstances leading to the death – but the Coroner decides on the scope of the inquest.

Coroners are responsible for making enquiries where the cause is unknown and the investigations are done on their behalf by a Coroner's Officer. It is different to other Courts because there are no formal allegations or accusations and no power to blame anyone directly for the death.

At the end of the Inquest, the Coroner will give his/her Conclusion and this will appear on the final Death Certificate. The death can then be officially registered.