The Chief Coroner is responsible for setting the standards of service that Coroners are expected to provide. The Chief Coroner also provides support and judicial leadership for Coroners across England and Wales.
The Chief Coroner does not investigate complaints about individual Coroners. Complaints must be made as described in previous sections.
The Chief Coroner prepares an annual report on the Coroner system, which is presented to Parliament. The aim of the report is to allow the public to be aware of, understand, and comment on the key issues facing the Coroner system.
The report focuses on service levels across the system and the consistency of standards between Coroner areas. It also includes details of the number of investigations lasting more than a year, and why they are taking this long as well as the actions the Chief Coroner is taking to prevent any unnecessary delays.
The Chief Coroner's report may include a summary of Coroner reports to prevent deaths and the responses to these, highlighting the role that Coroners play in public protection. It may also highlight examples of good Coroner practice.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice publishes annual statistics on deaths reported to Coroners. These cover deaths reported, post mortem examinations ordered and inquest held, and are used to monitor Coroner's workloads, throughput of cases, and percentages of post mortem examinations and inquests. Details can be found here.
