A CORONER’S Service that was discussed at Prime Minister’s Questions because of its lengthy delays has finally got its backlog under control.

Families had to wait up to 44 weeks for cases to reach a verdict at Teesside Coroner’s Service – 17 weeks more than the national average.

But the office has transformed itself and cut the number of outstanding cases from more than 400 to just 12.

More than 620 inquests were completed between January and June this year, of which approximately two-thirds were backlog cases.

Clare Bailey, acting senior Teesside coroner, said: “I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve over the last few months.

“It has all been about teamwork and has only been possible thanks to the great staff we have here in the Coroner’s Office. Their work has been of great benefit to the people of Teesside.

“I am also enormously grateful for the support we have had from our partners, in particular from Middlesbrough Council and Cleveland Police.”

Superintendent Peter McPhillips, of Cleveland Police, added: “This is a prime example of what can be achieved when partners work together to tackle an issue.

“Throughout this work we have been so aware of the impact of the backlog on families involved in the Coroner’s process and how important it is to get to this point.”

A two-year investigation into the length of time it was taking to hold inquests was launched by The Office for Judicial Complaints in 2011.

A number of Teesside politicians called for the coroner, Mr Michael Sheffield, who had previously been investigated eight years earlier, to resign after families spoke out about their experiences.

Mr Sheffield’s office blamed the long delays on a withdrawal of police resources, causing a long-running disagreement with Cleveland Police.

The investigation concluded that Mr Sheffield was not to blame for the backlog and he continued to work for the service until March 2014.

As a result of the investigation, a proposal to merge Teesside with its neighbouring service, Hartlepool, has been suggested as part of a nationwide modernisation programme put forward by the Lord Chancellor.

It is hoped that the merge will cut costs and speed up the delivery of inquests for grieving families.