The majority of inquests are held before a Coroner sitting alone. This will be the Senior Coroner or one of his Assistant Coroners. Assistant Coroners are also legally qualified and often ‘sit’ for the Senior Coroner on a few days each month. However, an inquest must be heard before a jury (of between 7 and 11 people) if the death occurred in detention (for example in prison or police custody), in a works accident or in other limited circumstances.

By law, the inquest is restricted to establishing the deceased's identity, when and where they died and how the death occurred. The verdict cannot be framed in such a way as to indicate criminal liability on the part of a named person or civil liability.