Coroner’s office privacy notice

1. Council Contact Details

1.1 North Northamptonshire Council

Registered Office:

Sheerness House
41 Meadow Road
Kettering
NN16 8TL

1.2 For more information regarding services provided by the Coroner’s Office, please visit the following link: Deaths reported to the Coroner | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)

1.3 The HM Senior Coroner for Northamptonshire Coroners Office is the Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. Each Assistant Coroner is a Data Controller in their own judicial capacity for each case they are judicially responsible for. The Northamptonshire Coroner’s Office is a countywide service currently hosted by West Northants Council on behalf of North Northants Council under a Service Level Agreement.

1.4 Telephone: 0300 126 7000

1.5 Email: [email protected]

2. Information that we hold

Data is supplied to HM Coroner in relation to sudden, unexpected, unknown or violent deaths. The Coroner may hold personal data in relation to identifiable living individuals under two different categories:

In relation to a deceased person – living persons can often be identified from the data which is held in relation to a deceased person, for example the deceased’s next of kin, their doctor or solicitor (direct identification). It can also be possible to piece together information about living persons from data you may hold regarding a deceased person (indirect identification).
The Coroner’s Office also holds information on many other individuals who they are in contact with during the course of normal coronial business. For example, local authority employees (including coroner’s officers), police officers, ambulance staff, pathologists, jurors, registration staff, GPs, NHS staff, solicitors, funeral directors, witnesses and expert witnesses, members of the public, interest persons amongst others. This is likely to be in the form of direct identification.

2.1 We currently collect and process the following categories of information for the running of the Coroner’s Office and to meet our statutory responsibilities:

Name
Address
Date of Birth
Medical information/history including physical and mental health data
Cause of death
Lifestyle and social data
Addictions
Occupation and place of work
Offences and alleged criminal offences
Family details
Next of kin details, including contact information
Customer financial information
Details of race and ethnic origin;
Political opinions
Religious or philosophical beliefs
Genetic data
Biometric data used for identification purposes
Juror information
Witness information

3. How the information is obtained

3.1 Data is supplied to HM Coroner in relation to sudden, unexpected, unknown or violent deaths. Further information is gathered by the Coroner during the course of investigating the death. Data is primarily supplied to the Coroner by Northamptonshire Police; NHS Hospital Trusts within the area of Northamptonshire; GPs; Ambulance Service; North Northamptonshire Council; West Northamptonshire Council and other organisations and agencies relevant to an investigation

3.2 There are a number of reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information. Generally, we collect and use personal information where:

it is necessary to meet our legal obligations
where we are carrying out a task in the public interest which is supported by legislation

The legislation which allows the Coroner’s Office to process personal data is:

The Coroners and Justice Act 2009
The Notification of Death Regulation 2019
The Coroners (Investigation) Regulations 2013
Public Heath (Control of Disease) Act 1984
Other legislation appertaining to the administrative and judicial functions of the Coroner

4. What we do with the information

4.1 We use the information that you have given us in order to carry out the judicial duties of the HM Coroner. This may include use by Police Officers; a member of staff; or other appointed officer carrying out activities in pursuit of the Coroner’s statutory powers, responsibilities and administration of justice.

4.2 Mostly, the information we share relates to that of the deceased, however as stated above indirect identification of living persons may be made. As well as sharing data with organisations and agencies relevant to the investigation, such as those listed above, we may also share data with other organisations and bodies such as: researchers, academics, safeguarding agencies, emergency planners, alcohol & drug teams, and suicide prevention services. Information will be anonymised where possible. We will not share information relating to the Next of Kin with these agencies unless we have the Next of Kin permission.

4.3 Next of kin information is shared with the appropriate Registration Services to conclude the investigation process and support the death registration process

4.3 Automated decision-making is where decisions are made about you without any human influence on the outcome. These may affect your legal rights or have an impact on your circumstances, behaviour or choices. Automated decision-making is not utilised in any tasks carried out by the HM Coroners Service.

4.4 There is no profiling undertaken in relation to tasks carried out by the HM Coroners Service. Profiling is where you analyse parts of an individual’s personality, behaviour, interests and habits to identify their preferences, make predictions or decisions about them.

5. How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1 Regulation 27 of The Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 states that we must keep records in relation to post-mortem and Investigation’s for a minimum of 15 years. Should an inquest be required a paper file will be produced and the inquest file may be retained indefinitely within the county archives.

5.2 We will securely dispose of your information in line with retention periods.

6. How we store your information

6.1 Your information is securely stored on the council’s systems, in which the servers are UK based.

6.2 In some cases, where required, paper files are created which are stored securely using relevant organisational measures

7. Your data protection rights

7.1 There is an absolute exemption from the various data subject rights and the obligations in the GDPR / Data Protection Act where personal data is processed by a coroner acting in a Judicial Capacity. You may be entitled to limited information which we may hold in respect of data held under Non-Judicial activities.

7.2 The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 15 of the council’s Corporate Privacy Notice for further information.

7.3 Please be aware that your rights may be limited due to the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

8. Who to contact

8.1 In the event of a Data Breach, the incident will be reported by HM Senior Coroner in line with North Northamptonshire Breach Reporting procedures. HM Senior Coroner must inform the Chief Coroner’s Office of any data breach within 72 hours.

Write to:
Northamptonshire Coroners Service
The Guildhall
St Giles’ Square
Northampton
NN1 1DE

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 01604 363102

8.2 If your concerns relate to any non-judicial activities, you would like further information about how we use your personal information, you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2 If you are still dissatisfied once you have contacted the Data Protection Officer, you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

9 Changes to this privacy notice

9.1 Privacy notices are live documents, which will be updated or revised in line with legislation.

Last updated 28 April 2022