supporting a trust through an inquest
the challenge:
An
NHS
Trust was
involved in a potentially high profile inquest and police
investigation. They wanted to achieve the best possible
outcome at the inquest and provide support to their staff
throughout the process.
our approach:
We gave support and legal advice to them in respect of the
police investigation and represented the Trust at the
inquest. The coroner was given evidence of the lessons the
Trust had learned from its own internal investigations into the
death and the steps that had been taken to minimise the risk of it
happening again. Written submissions were also sent to the
coroner, setting out the arguments as to why a verdict of neglect
was not appropriate in this case.
the result:
A Rule 43 letter was avoided. The coroner adopted the wording
of the narrative verdict contained in the submissions, rather than
a verdict of neglect. Staff felt the outcome was fair and
that they had been supported throughout. Adverse publicity
was minimised.