PITY II - Review of Coroner Services

WHY?

email PITY II

Today's Date

Review of Coroner Services

This is the text of a letter we have received from the Review of Coroner Services

REVIEW OF CORONER SERVICES SEEKS CONTACTS AND INFORMATION

Home Office Ministers have appointed a Group to review the arrangements in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for death certification, inquests, post mortem examinations, and the full range of services provided by Coroners.

I attach the full terms of reference of the Group and a list of its members. I am writing on the Group's behalf to ask for help with our work and to explain how we may be contacted.

We expect to take around eighteen months to complete our work. We will concentrate to start with on defining in more detail the topics we need to investigate.

This is to be a fundamental review of death certification and related issues and of coroner services to see what reforms may be needed. We wish to have a wide and diverse range of opinion on the workings of the present arrangements.

We welcome help in our work from any individuals with views and experience to share with us. Equally, we would be glad of help from all national or local voluntary, community, faith, cultural and other representative groups, including bereaved families and those representing them. We will also be grateful for the views of interested public bodies, professions and businesses.

People or groups who would like to respond to this invitation are asked to write to our Secretary Mike Gallagher, or to phone, Preferable by mid-September.

We do not want to put people to the trouble of producing lengthy written material. But anyone who wishes to send a summary of their experiences of the systems we are reviewing and their views of any changes they would like to see, is welcome to do so. Contact details are given below.

Later this year we shall be creating one or more small reference groups to help us in our work. Anyone interested in joining such a group should let Mike Gallagher know.

We shall be paying visits to Northern Ireland, Wales and all the English regions. We shall be happy to give details of how we may be contacted on these visits by any individuals, or local groups or bodies who might like to see us.

Our review includes "treasure trove" issues since these are within the responsibilities of Coroners. We would like views on these as well as death certification and other coroner services.

The contact details are: Mike Gallagher,
The Review of Coroner Services,
100 Pall Mall, St James's, London, SW1Y 5HP
Tel 020 7664 8898

Yours faithfully,
Tom Luce, Chairman

TERMS OF REFERENCE

In respect of England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

To consider the most effective arrangements for identifying the deceased and for ascertaining and certifying the medical cause of death for public health and public record purposes, having regard to proposals for a system of medical examiners.
To consider the extent to which the public interest may require deaths to be subject to further independent investigation, having regard to existing criminal and other statutory and non-statutory investigative procedures.
To consider the qualifications and experience required, and the necessary supporting organisations and structures, for shoes appointed to undertake the duties for ascertaining, certifying and investigating deaths.
To consider arrangements for the provision of post mortem services for the investigation of deaths.
To consider the consequences of any changes arising from the above for the registration service and the role of coroners under the Treasure Act 1996, and to consider where Departmental responsibilities for the arrangements should be located, having regard both to coherence for bereavement services and effective accountability.

Membership

Chair Tom Luce, CB, Former Head of Social Care Policy, Department of Health

Mrs Elizabeth Hodder, Equal Opportunities Commissioner

Mrs Deirdre McAuley, Citizens Advice Bureau advisor and chair of local Peace and Reconciliation Partnership, Ballymena

Professor Sir Colin Berry, Professor of Morbid Anatomy, University of London

Anthony Heaton-Armstrong, Barrister-at-Law

Iqbal A K M Sacranie OBE, Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain

Secretary Mike Gallagher

PITY II (Parents who have Interred Their Young Twice) is the parents' support group set up in the wake of the organ retention scandal
at Alder Hey Hospital (Liverpool, UK). It aims to provide self help support and advice to affected families.

Keywords: PITY II, pity II, pity ii, PITY 2, PITY2, pity 2, pity2, Never Again, never again,
Liverpool, liverpool, organ, retention, alder hey, heart, inquiry, Redfern, redfern, scandal, support, children, coroner,