Skip to content

Kent and Medway Coroner Service privacy notice

We keep this privacy notice under regular review and was last updated on 14 September 2022.

Kent County Council (KCC) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

Who we are

Kent County Council supports the Coroners in the execution of their duties which necessitates the collection and use of certain personal information about you. When we do so we are regulated under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Both Kent County Council and the Coroner hold responsibilities in relation to the use of the personal information. The Coroner is responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal information for the purposes of those laws and no personal information collected in the exercise of the Coroner’s statutory function may be shared with any party without the Coroner’s authorisation.

Coroners are independent judicial officers who hold the statutory responsibility to make enquiries of any death that is reported to them and investigate the death if it appears that the cause of death is unknown, or the death was violent or unnatural, or the person died in prison, police custody, or other type of state detention. Coroners are also responsible for inquests into treasure.

The KCC Data Protection Officer is Benjamin Watts.

Personal information we collect and use

Information collected by us

In the course of making enquiries and investigating deaths, we collect the following personal information when you provide it to us:

  • Name
  • Contact details (address, telephone numbers, email address)
  • Spousal occupation if the deceased was married at the time of their death.

Depending on how the death was notified to us, we may also obtain personal information including names and contact details from other sources as follows:

  • Kent Police, and other Police services including British Transport Police
  • Doctors, nurses and healthcare providers including mental healthcare providers
  • NHS services
  • Kent and other Registration services
  • Funeral directors
  • Body store/mortuaries
  • Public and private care providers
  • Prison Estates
  • Ombudsmen and other statutory agencies

In the course of making enquiries and investigating treasure, we collect the following personal information when you provide it to us:

  • Name of finder
  • Contact details (address, telephone numbers, email address)
  • Name of landowner
  • Name of land occupier

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to liaise with you as the family, next of kin or personal representative of the deceased, and as the finder of treasure. Both of these are for the statutory execution of the Coroner’s duties.

Reasons we can collect and use your personal information

We rely on Article 6(1)(c) as the lawful basis on which we collect and use your personal data i.e., ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation’ in accordance with the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013 and Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.

For investigations into deaths, additionally, consent is sought from the Next of Kin of the deceased throughout the investigation process, when sharing their details with statutory bodies and trusted partners. The lawful basis for this processing is Article 6(1)(a) ‘the data subject has given consent to the processing of his/her personal data for one or more specific purposes’.

Due to the nature of the Coroner inquest, special category data may be shared and disclosed as part of the inquest process. We rely on Article 9 (2)(f) as the lawful basis on which we collect and use your personal date as ‘processing is necessary for acting in judicial capacity’ and also Article 9 (2)(g) ‘processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest’.

How long your personal data will be kept

We will hold your personal information for a maximum of 15 years of the date the death is reported to the Service, unless it is an investigation or inquest, in which case records are stored indefinitely, as per legislation. Should you wish to have your details removed from the case after a period of 20 years (the minimum legal period) you should inform the coroner in writing.

Who we share your personal information with

We will not routinely share your information, and any disclosure that is necessary will only be done with your explicit consent or under direction of the Coroner in accordance with the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013.

We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law or in connection with legal proceedings. These authorities can include but are not limited to:

  • Kent Police, and other Police services including British Transport Police
  • Doctors, nurses and healthcare providers including mental healthcare providers
  • NHS services
  • Kent and other Registration services
  • Public and private care providers
  • Funeral directors
  • Body store/mortuaries
  • Prison Estates
  • Ombudsmen and other statutory agencies
  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Embassies
  • Pathologists and Toxicologists
  • Procurator Fiscal Office (Scotland)
  • Secretary of State
  • Chief Coroner Officer
  • Finds Liaison Officer
  • Treasure Valuation Committee

Your rights

Under the GDPR you have rights which you can exercise free of charge that allow you to:

  • know what we are doing with your information and why we are doing it
  • ask to see what information we hold about you (subject access request)
  • ask us to correct any mistakes in the information we hold about you
  • object to direct marketing
  • make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office
  • you can withdraw your consent at any time

Depending on our reason for using your information you may also be entitled to:

  • ask us to delete information we hold about you
  • have your information transferred electronically to yourself or to another organisation
  • object to decisions being made that significantly affect you
  • object to how we are using your information
  • stop us using your information in certain ways

We will always seek to comply with your request however we may be required to hold or use your information to comply with legal duties. Please note, your request may delay or prevent us delivering a service to you.

For further information about your rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on individuals’ rights under GDPR.

If you would like to exercise a right, please contact the Information Resilience and Transparency Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk.

Keeping your personal information secure

We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost or used or accessed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

Who to contact

Please contact the Information Resilience and Transparency Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk to exercise any of your rights, or if you have a complaint about why your information has been collected, how it has been used or how long we have kept it for.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer, Benjamin Watts, at dpo@kent.gov.uk.

The UK GDPR also gives you right to lodge a complaint with Information Commissioner, who may be contacted via the Information Commissioner's website or call 03031 231113.

Read our corporate privacy statement.