Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisation and Coroner

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) came into effect in 2009 and protect an individual’s right to liberty. The DoLS are designed to ensure that a person is not deprived of their liberty unlawfully.

If an individual dies while they are subject to a DoLS authorisation, the Coroner must be informed. This is because the Coroner has a statutory duty to investigate all deaths where the cause is unknown, where the death was violent or unnatural, or where the deceased was in state custody.

The Coroner will then decide whether or not an inquest is required. An inquest is a formal legal enquiry which is held in public. The purpose of an inquest is to establish the facts surrounding the death, and to determine the medical cause of death.

If you are the owner of a care home, it is your responsibility to ensure that the Coroner is informed of any deaths which occur in your care home. This is a legal requirement, and failure to do so could result in criminal proceedings.