Tutorial on Death, Dying and the Coroner


Think about how you would deal with the following problems both in the short term and later on.

  1. You are called at 10.30 p.m. to see a 63 year old hypertensive patient with severe central chest pain. Whilst you are examining him he loses consciousness. Despite all your efforts he dies.

  2. The same situation as in (1) above, but the patient dies just before you arrive.

  3. On your weekend co-op session you are called to the house of a 78 year old lady who has not been seen for a day or two and there are several full milk bottles on her doorstep. She is known to take digoxin and a diuretic.

  4. You are telephoned one afternoon by the wife of a fifty year old man with carcinomatosis due to carcinoma of the prostate. She thinks he has died. He had been on oral morphine medicine for about a month.

  5. A demented 87 year old lady in a rest home has had broncho-pneumonia and has been "going downhill" for several weeks. You saw her two days ago and she was very peaceful and being well looked after. You are telephoned at 9 a.m. to say she has died.

  6. As in (5) above but she had a fractured neck of femur eleven months ago.

  7. As in (5) above but she slipped and fractured two ribs six months ago.

  8. As in (5) above, but she is not demented and five weeks ago she had a laparotomy - open and close - for carcinoma of the colon with liver metastases.

  • When must you report a death to the coroner?
  • What are the duties of a coroner?
  • When would you refer a patient to the Macmillan nursing service?
  • Who should have bereavement visits?


You may find it useful to visit the page contributed to this Web Site by the East Cornwall
Coroner. Click Here to do so.

Tutorial submitted by Andrew Crawshaw - 5/98 - Mevagissey
The Cornwall Trainers' Web Site is maintained by Andrew Crawshaw - contact address: Crawshaws@aol.com Mevagissey