Agenda item

To receive a report seeking approval for the cross appointment of four Assistant Coroners for the Newcastle Upon Tyne Coroner area to the North Tyneside Coroner area, and to participate in a procurement exercise for the provision of Coroner requested post-mortems and pathology services.

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval for the cross appointment of four Assistant Coroners for the Newcastle Upton Tyne Coroner area to the North Tyneside Coroner area, and to participate in a procurement exercise for the provision of Coroner requested post-mortems and pathology services. 

Cabinet at its meeting on 9 September 2019 had considered a report in relation to the future of the Coroner’s Service in North Tyneside.  At that meeting Cabinet had agreed in principle to the merger of the Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside Coroners’ areas, subject to the development of an agreed business case and approval of the Lord Chancellor and Chief Coroner for England and Wales.  Cabinet had also agreed to the appointment of the Senior Coroner for Newcastle upon Tyne as the Acting Senior Coroner for North Tyneside from 1 October 2019 in the interim period. 

The Acting Senior Coroner for North Tyneside had, following her appointment, requested the cross appointment of the four Assistant Coroners in the Newcastle Upon Tyne coroner area to the North Tyneside coroner area.  These cross appointments were consequent on the need to provide resilience and further additional resource for the North Tyneside coroner area.  Currently there were only two Assistant Coroners for North Tyneside.

The Lord Chancellor and the Chief Coroner for England and Wales had both agreed to consent to these appointments without open competition. 

The Assistant Coroners were not salaried; they would be paid on a day rate/half day rate only when they were requested by the Acting Senior Coroner to act in her absence.  The cost of the engagement of the Assistant Coroners as and when required would be met from existing budgets and was not anticipated to be extensive.

Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, Coroners had the ultimate discretion to request any suitable practitioner to undertake a post mortem examination of a body.  It was proposed that a regional procurement process was undertaken for a Coroner requested post-mortem and pathology service. The purpose of this procurement was to secure a dedicated cost-effective service that benefited from the economies of scale associated with the geographical size of the Coroners’ areas and was based on the requirements of coroners in the North East Region.

Durham County Council had agreed to act on behalf of the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) in conjunction with the coroners for the North East Region for the procurement of a Framework Agreement for Regional Post Mortem and Pathology Services.

The procurement had been divided into two geographical demand zones (Lots) classified as North and South.  Bidders may bid for one or both Lots, however, they must include a preference and could only be successful for one Lot.  The premises upon which the services took place must be situated within the geographical boundaries of the demand zone (Lot) for which they were bidding.

It was expected that the contract award would take place in mid-April 2020 with the Framework Agreement commencing on 1 May 2020.

Cabinet considered the following decision options: either to agree the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report, or alternatively to disagree with the proposals and request officers to look at other options in relation to the appointment of Assistant Coroners for North Tyneside and the procurement of a Coroner requested post-mortem and pathology service.

Resolved that (1) the cross appointment of the four Assistant Coroners for the Newcastle upon Tyne Coroner area to the North Tyneside coroner area, as set out in the report, be agreed;

(2) the Authority participates in the procurement exercise led by Durham County Council on behalf of the North East Purchasing Organisation to establish a Framework Agreement for the provision of Coroner requested post-mortem and pathology services;

(3) the Head of Law and Governance, in consultation with the Head of Resources and the Elected Mayor, be authorised to agree on behalf of the Authority to the award of the Framework Agreement for a period of 10 years, commencing 1 May 2020 with an option to extend for two years, based on the most economically advantageous tender; and

(4) the Head of Law and Governance, in consultation with the Head of Resources and the Elected Mayor, be authorised to call off the Framework Agreement for the provision of Coroner requested post-mortem and pathology services.

(Reasons for decision: To provide for additional resilience and further additional resource for the Acting Senior Coroner for the North Tyneside coroner area and to secure a dedicated cost-effective Coroner requested Post Mortem and Pathology service that benefits from the economies of scale associated with the geographical size of the Coroners’ areas and is based on the requirements of coroners in the North East Region.