An Island man has been waiting 818 days for an inquest on his partner, the Isle of Wight Council heard earlier this week (Wednesday).
In a public question, Moses Gibson asked how long County Hall has been aware of the Isle of Wight’s inquest problems and what the main reasons given to the Chief Coroner for the long delays by the local coroner, Caroline Sumeray, have been.
The inquiry comes after Isle of Wight East Conservative MP Joe Robertson described the Island’s coroner as a problem in the House of Commons last week, as previously reported by Island Echo. Local leaders have also said that the service is simply not fit for purpose.
Mr Gibson’s wait is by far one of the shortest for grieving families. Island Echo is aware of a number of local families who have been waiting over 4 years – that’s 1,460 days – for an inquest to be concluded.
In the Council chamber on Wednesday, Mr Gibson said:
“In my hand, this is the guide to coroner services for bereaved people issued by the Ministry of Justice.
“On page 20, it says the inquest hearing should take place within six months or as soon as reasonably possible. If a coroner has not completed their investigation within 12 months, they must report it to the chief coroner giving reasons for the delay.
“On page 35, it advises me to complain to the local authority which funds the coroner’s service you are dissatisfied with.
Article continues below this advertisement “I and my family have been waiting 818 days for an inquest on my partner…and I have not been contacted regularly – other people have been waiting almost one and a half thousand days.”
Council leader Phil Jordan responded:
“The council and HM Senior Coroner are working together to address the delays in inquests being completed and a full review of the service is being undertaken and will inform a detailed recovery plan.
“Working together, the council and the coroner are identifying how the delays can be reduced to enable inquests to progress in a timely way while not compromising the quality and thoroughness of investigations.”
I would start with replacing the Coroner. She seems to be not up to the job….
Exactly.
I am still waiting for an inquest 6 months after my Aunts death in East Sussex. I thought that was bad enough. Whats going on here?
We’re twenty years behind the Mainland on many things, but this!! 😮
We Deserve Better!!
Only 27 years, me thinks a few more years than that.
The island is still in the 1970s