The role of the coroner

The Support After Suicide Partnership charity explains that a suicide will always be reported to the coroner – an independent judicial officer. They will hold an inquest to gather evidence and information to help understand the circumstances that led to the death. They can investigate work-related issues that may have caused or contributed to the death. They will issue a PFD Prevention of Future Deaths report if they believe there needs to be action taken to reduce or prevent the risk of other deaths occurring in the future. In 2023, 195,000 deaths were reported to coroners and they issued 569 PFD reports.

The Business in the Community guide, Crisis management in the event of a suicide: a postvention toolkit for employers, says suicide prevention should be an integral part of a positive and proactive approach to mental health at work.

It says organisations should incorporate a “suicide postvention protocol” into their crisis management strategy setting out how they will respond in the event of a death by suicide. It highlights areas where trade unions can be involved.