Hi Frenchick,

I'm so sorry for your loss and especially what you are having to go through now. The GP will be referring this to the Coroner but it may not necessarily need a post mortem - only where the death is suspicious would a post mortem be necessary. I'm assuming that any care your mum had was provided in hospital but that she had been discharged home in the last 2 weeks or more? These websites help explain what happens www.citizensadvice.org.uk/.../ and www.gov.uk/.../when-a-death-is-reported-to-a-coroner

Nine days seems a very long time for the Coroner to deal with your mum's case. I have added a website for Manchester but it will be very similar in most areas of the country. It says that it should be dealt with quickly if straightforward secure.manchester.gov.uk/.../5

It's not unknown for paperwork etc to go astray in these cases & this may be causing the hold up (it did in my mum's case). I suggest you contact the Coroner's office for the area your mum died. The Coroner's officer should be able to give you some idea as to what is happening & how long it may take. Once the Coroner has finished & a medical certificate has been signed they will release the body to the undertaker. You then have to register the death before the undertaker can arrange the funeral with you - from receiving the medical certificate to the funeral day will be about 3 weeks (dependant on the funeral director & church/cemetary/cremation facility availability). It's all explained in the website links.

Meanwhile, I would see your GP about the anxiety this is causing - they may be able to prescribe you something that will help in the short term. I hope you get a quick resolution and you can say goodbye to mum very soon. Take care and try not to let it overwhelm you,

Angie

Apparently the GP hasn’t even made a referral to the coroners yet :((( omg what’s wrong with them? It’s so disrespectful to my mum. I’m crying my eyes out, shouldn’t GP be more thoughtful of this? Saying they couldn’t get onto the system for 9 days, GP wasn’t around, something else something else 

omg :(((( 

That's terrible. They should have at least kept you informed. Once it's all calmed down I would mkae a complaint to the Practice Manager & point out the stress this has caused you by not knowing what is going on. If there is a problem with the system they should be able to report it to the coroner another way. I think you need to cause some waves with the GP.

No Angie, she was never at the hospital except for chemo and radio and scans and consultant appointments, so outpatients apts only. 

She was never discharged as such. The last consultant appt was on 28th feb which she wasn’t able to attend so I went instead. Explained the situation and managed to get some meds (steroids and something else). Which actually made her feel worse, steroids pumped up her appetite and she was feeling ready hungry and trying to eat but not able to hold anything. It was an agony for a week and she stopped them. The latest appt was on 28th March which none attended, she was already bed bound and I was already too worried and trying to organise carers and life line. 3 days later she passed away. She never had the GP visits but the medics history is all there.

anyway, went to her GP today and physically sat there till they have done a referral. Hopefully it has now gone to the coroners and having read through your links it shouldn’t be longer than 2-3 days fingers crossed. Whatever is next though.... :( sad sigh

Hopefully you will get the medical certificate within the next few days and can start the funeral arrangements. Thinking of you x