Support and where to find help
Donor families we talked to received support from various sources, formal and informal, including family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, support groups, bereavement counselling and their religion...
The inquest
An inquest is a legal inquiry into the medical cause and circumstances of a death. It is held in public – sometimes with a jury – by a coroner, in cases where the death was violent or unnatural, took place in prison or police custody or when the cause of death is still uncertain after a post-mortem.
The coroner is a doctor or lawyer responsible for investigating deaths in particular situations and can also arrange for a post-mortem examination of the body, if necessary. An inquest is a legal inquiry into the causes and circumstances of a death.
If death occurs in any of the following circumstances, the doctor may report it to the coroner:
- After an accident or injury
- Following an industrial accident
- During a surgical operation
- Before recovery from an anaesthetic
- If the cause of death is unknown
- If the death was violent or unnatural – for example, suicide, accident or drug or alcohol overdose
- If the death was sudden and unexplained – for instance, a sudden infant death (cot death)
More information about inquests can be found on INQUEST’s website.
Personal experiences of inquests can be found on:
Deciding to become a living donor
Every year hundreds of people die while waiting for an organ transplant or before they even get on to the transplant list. Organs are in...