Policy background Coroners’ investigations into still-births
Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, coroners have a duty to investigate deaths in certain circumstances, such as where the death is violent or unnatural. Coroners can only investigate the deaths of babies who show signs of life after being born, not babies who die before or during labour. Coroners can commence an investigation to decide if a duty to conduct an investigation arises if there is any doubt as to whether a baby was still-born but their investigation must end if they find it was a still-birth. They will not investigate the circumstances of why the baby was still-born.
	In November 2017, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch would conduct independent investigations into all English cases of term intrapartum still-birth, neonatal and maternal death and birth-related brain injuries (as defined by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ "Each Baby Counts" criteria). There is however a question of whether coroners should have a role to play in investigating still-births to contribute to learning and reducing the still-birth rate.