Rabbi Asher Gratt, from the AYBS, praised Ms Hassell for “abandoning the rigidity seen previously”, and said that “in fact [she] has bent over backwards to show she is listening to our needs over the past few months.
“This is a huge improvement on where were six months ago. We’ve been in discussions over the past few months and the coroner has been very co-operative,” he said.
“For the last six months we have seen a real willingness to co-operate and in our area we are now hopeful of receiving a compassionate coroner’s service.”
As well as a new burial protocol, Ms Hassell also confirmed that an out-of-hours coroner service would be provided. Camden Councillor Abdul Hai announced in July that £80,000 had been allocated for it.
Ms Hassell said: “Camden council is currently addressing the provision of IT and office co-location that will form the bedrock upon which the whole service can build.”
Ms Hassell has also indicated that she will begin producing an annual report which will provide key facts and information on how coroner services are operating across the boroughs under her jurisdiction, after being asked to do so by leaders and elected mayors of all four boroughs in her jurisdiction.
They wrote to her on Tuesday requesting that she begin producing such a report and called for it to include information “on how many requests for early release of bodies and for non-invasive autopsies have been made, and whether these were granted; how many bodies have been released within the three-day deadline set out in the Chief Coroner’s guidelines; and what efforts have been made to provide an out of hours’ service.”
