The Isle of Wight Council and Senior Coroner Caroline Sumeray have responded to mounting criticism of the Island’s Coroner’s Service following calls from Shadow Secretary for Justice, Robert Jenrick MP, for her to resign if standards do not improve.
It was on Saturday evening that Mr Jenrick sat down with Island Echo to talk about the Coroner and the issues facing the Isle of Wight, as previously reported. The prominent Conservative MP stated that Caroline Sumeray must urgently raise standards or ‘consider her position’, adding that the current level of service cannot continue any longer.
In a joint statement issued in response to this criticism, it has been said that both the Senior Coroner and the Isle of Wight Council acknowledge the concerns raised by the Member of Parliament, confirming efforts to deliver a ‘comprehensive recovery plan’ to address a backlog of cases – now the worst backlog in the entire country.
It is said that the plan, which has not been made public, includes targeted recruitment and a strategy to improve the timeliness and quality of inquests.
Despite public criticism, Senior Coroner Sumeray has made no indication that she intends to step down, stating through the council that she continues to serve ‘with commitment and dedication’.
The council has confirmed that Senior Coroner Sumeray has been in regular contact with the Chief Coroner since 2022, with the Chief Coroner visiting the Isle of Wight twice in recent months to meet with the council’s Chief Executive, Wendy Parera. However, he has not yet officially opened the new Coroner’s Court, as previously indicated to the press by Ms Sumeray.
The statement continues:
“The council remains committed to working with Senior Coroner Sumeray to ensure that the Coroner’s Service is equipped to meet the needs of the Island’s residents. Together with Senior Coroner Sumeray, we are implementing a comprehensive recovery plan to address the backlog of cases and strengthen the service for the future. This includes targeted recruitment and a clear strategy to improve the timeliness and quality of inquests.
Article continues below this advertisement “The Coroner’s Service plays a vital role in supporting families during times of profound loss. We are united in our commitment to delivering a service that is compassionate, timely, and robust”.
“The council is working with her [Caroline Sumeray] to restore public confidence and ensure families receive the answers and support they deserve”.
Island Echo also understands that the Lord Chancellor has personally spoken with the Senior Coroner regarding the current situation. A report is expected to be published soon, which is anticipated to be critical of the service and could increase the pressure on Ms Sumeray to step aside.
Robert Jenrick MP has said he will be working with Joe Robertson to keep pressing this issue in Parliament, and will be considering what changes to the law are needed to make sure a situation like this cannot be repeated elsewhere in the country.
It was only last week that Island Echo reported that the Coroner had been handed a formal warning over delays, and Senior leaders have recently described the service as ‘not fit for purpose‘. Families now endure delays – on average – of up to 76 weeks before inquests are concluded.
Earlier this month, the House of Commons heard of Islanders’ ‘untold turmoil’. It has also been recently reported that 6 out of 7 new recruits have resigned.
Why doesn’t she just resign, do the right thing, just go.
Back in the day INCOMPETENT employees were
given their P45, if they were not up to the job.
Nowdays government employees call the shots and
don’t receive such!
Blimey, I must sit down. Agree entirely with what you say EIE
I got it right for once. I will try and improve.
Lol
Just the tip of the iceberg with our very expensive civil help themselves servants.
Majority of them are still shirking from home,
hence INCOMPETENT services.
Ms Sumeray leading a recovery plan seems rather like marking your own homework. Whilst I agree with Jenrick’s current position, it is rather a pity he didn’t take thie stance when he was in government. This is not a new problem but it is one whichhe was happy to ignore when he could have tackled it and now sits on the edge throwing grenades.
Given the obvious recruitment and retention problems here in recent times (lets face it, it’s a pretty niche job; there are 91 senior coroners across the whole of England and Wales covering 77 areas,), if she was ousted…. who’d be available to replace her? Then compound the buck that stops with her by the fact there are just 390 (E and W) actual coroners doing the actual work of collation of facts, compiling reports and overseeing courts. Last year there were over 81,000 deaths examined by coroners. We had 7 coroners recruited to over here; 6 of them left. None of them were islanders.
To be a coroner, first you have to have been an assistant coroner. To be an assistant coroner first you have to have been either a barrister, or a top notch solicitor. To do that you have to have done a law degree, probably a Masters on top, then a practicing exam (another 2 years) with tutelage, then practised for at least 5 years. But before all that….you have to have had knowledge of basic medicine. So, the people who end up as coroners often started out doing a degree in medicine and either converted to law during or took both degrees. THEN after working as a normal humble coroner for a number of years decide to join the other 90 and become a senior coroner.
Back to the original question then….who’s going to replace her?
Anyone here thinking of that study route? EIE? Irish K Anus? Dicky Daniels?
We are not accustomed to informed opinion, as we find it challenges our personal judgement . (Many of us think the word ‘reckless’ starts with a ‘w’.)