Section 40 Coroners Act 2006 payments
Medical reports requested under section 40 of the Coroners Act 2006
What a coroner does
Coroners investigate unexpected, violent or suspicious deaths to determine their cause and decide whether recommendations can be made to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Find out more about coroners and Coronial Services
In the early stages of their investigation, a coroner may ask a doctor to provide a written medical report under section 40(external link) (s 40 report) of the Coroners Act 2006(external link) (the Act). This report is important to the investigation as it helps the coroner decide whether to open an inquiry. A coroner holds an inquiry to find out more about who the person was, and where, when and how they died.
Find out more about coronial inquiries
Coroners (Doctors Fees) Regulations 2022
The Coroners (Doctors Fees) Regulations 2022(external link) (the Regulations) outline the fee payable to eligible doctors for providing s 40 reports requested by a coroner. The Regulations have the following key features:
- Fee rate – the fee payable is at a rate of $200 + GST per hour.
- Fee model – fees will be paid at an hourly rate, calculated on a pro rata basis rounded up to the nearest minute, up to a cap of four hours.
- Eligibility – payments will be made to doctors in private practice only. This excludes doctors employed by Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand (former District Health Boards) and other doctors already paid by a public service agency to write s 40 reports as part of their duties.
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