Issue - meetings

Giles Adey, Coroner’s Services Manager was in attendance for this item)

(1)       The Cabinet Committee received a report from the Cabinet Member and Corporate Director setting out details of the role of the Coroner’s Officer and an agreement with Kent Police to transfer the employment of 15 FTE Coroner’s Officers from Kent Police to Kent County Council on 1 January 2014. 

(2)       The Cabinet Member introduced the report by stating that the proposed decision brought both challenges and opportunities.  The challenge was that the Council had a statutory duty to deliver the service in question and as a result there would be financial implications for KCC’s budget.  However there would also be an opportunity to rationalise the current arrangements and make significant savings while providing a more efficient service.

(3)       Mr Adey, Coroner’s Services Manager spoke to this item and offered the following information:

(i)        Historically Coroner’s Officers had been employed by the Police, they were responsible for taking statements and making enquiries into circumstances surrounding deaths, making arrangements for post mortems, liaising with families and interested persons and arranging and attending post mortems.

(ii)       The Coroner’s and Justice Act 2009 came into effect on 25 July 2013 and for the first time recognised in law the role of Coroner’s Officers, and placed on local authorities a statutory responsibility for their provision.

(iii)      Currently the service was somewhat disjointed. Coroners were based in solicitors’ offices or their own homes and not employed by KCC, while Coroner’s Officers were employed by Kent Police and KCC with statutory responsibility for the service.  The new legislation offered the opportunity for a much more holistic approach to be taken.

(iv)      In designing the new model co-location of Coroners and Coroner’s Officers offered obvious benefits, as highlighted in the earlier item on emergency planning and the Kent Resilience Team.  Coroners Officers transferred to KCC on 1 January 2014 and once this had happened there would be a formal consultation on a new structure. 

(v)       It would not be necessary to implement TUPE transfer as the function was an administrative one but any staffing issues would be managed under the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSOP) guidelines. 

(vi)      The role of Medical Examiner had arisen from the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and for the past two years KCC had been waiting for a formal consultation from the Department of Health about how this would work in practice.  This was a new role and the intention was that the Medical Examiner would independently assess all deaths not referred to the Coroner.  Currently 50% of deaths were referred to the Coroner but the expectation was that in the future only 25% of deaths would be dealt with by the Coroner and the remaining 75% would be reviewed by the Medical Examiner and referred if necessary.

(vii)    The total cost of implementing this service across England and Wales was estimated at approximately £48m.  The intention was that any costs would be funded by a fee payable by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23