Coroners are independent judicial officers - this means that no one else can tell them or direct them as to what they should do, but they must follow the laws and regulations which apply.
A Coroner enquires into deaths reported to them. It is their duty to find out the medical cause of death, if it is known, and to enquire about the cause of death if it was due to violence or was otherwise unnatural.
Not all deaths are reported to the Coroner. In most cases the deceased’s own doctor, or a hospital doctor who has been treating the deceased, is able to give a cause of death and issue a medical certificate.
View further information about the South Wales Central Area Coroner's Service