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Browne Jacobson home

Health home

Services

Inquests and investigations

inquests and investigations

Mock inquest are you ready to give evidence?

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Find out about our claims, advisory, inquests and regulatory services

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Find out about the services offered by our dedicated health and social care team

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Coroners’ inquests into unnatural deaths involving health and social care organisations are on the increase. They are particularly stressful for individuals called to give evidence, with the cases being held in public and often in front of family members of the deceased.

We know that every case is different and our approach is tailored to your requirements - inquests always require a combination of shrewd legal analysis and sensitive handling.

Our specialist inquest team advises on over 300 inquests per year, dealing with many complex and sensitive matters and has developed a nationally recognised expertise in the field of coronial law. Many of the witnesses we deal with are unfamiliar with the coroner’s court and have never given evidence before. We support them throughout the process, providing careful guidance on what to expect.

We have been working on behalf of public and private sector health organisations for many years, appearing before more than 50 different coroners across the country, lecturing nationally and hosting quarterly inquest and litigation forums.

what we do...

A total solution - we advise on related claims and policy issues, police investigations, Health & Safety Executive prosecutions and disciplinary action.
Review of statements to be sent to the coroner.
Advice on legal issues, disclosure of documents and likely determinations.
Advice on dealing with media and reputational issues.

Pre-inquest meetings with your people involved in the case.
Advocacy at the inquest and any pre-inquest hearings.
Assistance with responding to Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports.

related resources

Legal updates

Health newsletter - October 2018

Welcome to the latest edition of our health newsletter, in which we bring you a round-up of the latest regulations and news affecting your sector.

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Legal updates

Employment: doctors restrictions and exclusions under MHPS

High Court intervenes and grants injunctions in two separate cases involving Cardiologists where the employing Trust in one case had imposed continuing restrictions on practice following an investigation and in the other case, fully excluded a Professor of Cardiac Surgery.

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Legal updates

Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018

The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 (‘the Act’) received royal ascent on 13 September 2018 and is due to come into force on 13 November 2018.

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Legal updates

Letters of Apology, a cautionary tale: “extremely misleading” letter issued prior to conclusion of inquest

An NHS body anticipating criticism at Inquest may decide to issue a Letter of Apology before, during or after the Inquest.

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View all

what our clients say....

what the directories say...

A client says: 'They deliver real added value. They don't just think about the legal problem before them but also the overall strategic issues.'

Chamber 2018

A client says: 'I wanted practical, clear advice, and that was what I got.'

Chamber 2018

Browne Jacobson LLP’s ‘knowledgeable, pragmatic and approachable’ group combines local government and social care expertise with its healthcare specialism to assist local authorities, NHS bodies, private sector providers and membership bodies for healthcare professionals with matters ranging from commercial initiatives and projects to inquests and regulatory work.

Legal 500 2017

Browne Jacobson LLP is a ‘highly competent healthcare firm that is excellent value for money’.

Legal 500 2017

They are a leading, one-stop-shop healthcare firm. They offer a whole range of services. Their out-of-hours support is very strong.

Chambers 2017

recent experience

Represented a hospital into the death of a woman from the “flesh-eating bug”, necrotising fasciitis. The patient had been admitted with intense pain in her elbow, which doctors attributed to an underlying rheumatic condition. The family alleged that an immediate diagnosis should have been made - we persuaded the coroner at the inquest that the treatment had been timely and earlier intervention could not have been possible.
We advised on an inquest involving an elderly lady in care who suffered injuries, haemorrhage and subsequent death after being dropped from a hoist by carers – we represented the care providers. The key issues related to safeguarding and a PFD implication. Whilst the policies and procedures of the care provider were scrutinised in detail, we successfully avoided a PFD notice and minimised media attention.
We advised on a high profile baby inquest in which considerable attention was placed on the medical management of the labour; multiple hospital witnesses were called to give evidence and high volumes of documentation were disclosed. The verdict was one of natural causes and critical comments via summing up by the coroner were minimised.