What is an adjournment?

An ‘adjournment’ is when the Pre-Inquest Review Hearing or final inquest hearing is postponed until another date.

It is up to the coroner’s discretion whether or not to adjourn, and the coroner will also decide when to resume the inquest again. Generally, coroners prefer not to adjourn if possible as they have a legal duty to consider the impact of delays on their duty to investigate how the deceased died. However, sometimes circumstances mean that it is reasonable for the coroner to adjourn for the inquest to run properly.