Medical practitioner making post-mortem
6.—(1) In considering what legally qualified medical practitioner shall be directed or requested by the coroner to make a post-mortem examination the coroner shall have regard to the following considerations:—
(a)the post-mortem examination should be made, whenever practicable, by a pathologist with suitable qualifications and experience and having access to laboratory facilities;
(b)if the coroner is informed by the chief officer of police that a person may be charged with the murder, manslaughter or infanticide of the deceased, the coroner should consult the chief officer of police regarding the legally qualified medical practitioner who is to make the post-mortem examination;
(c)if the deceased died in a hospital, the coroner should not direct or request a pathologist on the staff of, or associated with, that hospital to make a post-mortem examination if—
(i)that pathologist does not desire to make the examination, or
(ii)the conduct of any member of the hospital staff is likely to be called in question, or
(iii)any relative of the deceased asks the coroner that the examination be not made by such a pathologist,
unless the obtaining of another pathologist with suitable qualifications and experience would cause the examination to be unduly delayed;
(d)if the death of the deceased may have been caused by any of the diseases or injuries within paragraph (2), the coroner should not direct or request a legally qualified medical practitioner who is a member of a pneumoconiosis medical panel to make the post-mortem examination.
(2) The diseases and injuries within this paragraph are those in connection with which duties are from time to time imposed upon pneumoconiosis medical boards by Part III of the Social Security Act 1975 and any regulations made under that Act(1).
The relevant instrument and the instruments amending it are set out in the footnote to the definition of “industrial disease” in Rule 2(1).