Communication With Bereaved People - A Coroner’s Officer’s Perspective
I became a coroner’s officer (CO) in 1993. Despite my previous years in nursing, I had experienced very few deaths and had only been to the mortuary once.
At that time, over 4000 deaths a year were reported to our coroner’s office. There were 4 CO’s whose job was to investigate deaths for the coroner. My case load was over 800 of which 80 or so became inquest cases requiring a more in-depth investigation. My role as a CO was to gather information for the coroner and be the front-line link for bereaved families, keeping them and other interested persons informed. In addition, I attended the mortuary with families to do formal identifications; took statements from them and other witnesses; I liaised with other agencies to obtain their specialist reports; supported families and witnesses through the coronial process and acted as court usher at the inquest hearing. The role was, at times very challenging and good effective and empathetic communication skills were vital.
My training, (wholly inadequate) was two months on-the-job with the outgoing CO. There was a lot to learn. Because of the sheer volume of cases, most contact with families was done (and still is) over the telephone. My predecessor’s communication style was long-winded, convoluted and confusing and initially I struggled to understand what he was telling me and what he was telling families. Having been bereaved myself, I recalled how difficult it was for me to take in and retain information and concluded that if I was struggling to take in what he was saying, then the families must be too.
At first everything was very daunting, and I was very anxious about getting my communication with families and witnesses wrong and potentially making a bad situation worse and causing more distress for those already traumatised. I knew I had to get it right so I researched around grief and bereavement; gained a clear understanding of the legal framework and processes - including those of the other agencies involved – and homed in on precisely what information bereaved families needed so that I could be more concise when speaking with them. I also produced a written information sheet for police and hospital staff to give to bereaved families, outlining why the coroner was involved, what would happen next and my contact details.
That was the practicalities sorted! But communication is not just about information, it is how, when and where it is given, so preparation is key. Who was I going to speak to? Did I have good grasp of the case? What I did I need to say and how was I going to say it? I learned very quickly to pick up on clues such as pauses, intake of breath, tone of voice. I never used words and phrases like ‘closure’, ‘good innings’ ‘sorry for your loss’ and ‘passed over’. Overall, I think, at least I hope, I got it right.
So, what about the training of COs some 30 years later? Shamefully, not much has changed as the majority of COs still get little or no formal training. This needs to change.