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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

Withdrawing life support – when is the court required?

Albeit in very sad individual circumstances, today’s judgment by the Supreme Court on An NHS Trust v Y [2018] UKSC 46 is hopefully one of the rare occasions when courts have an opportunity to bring relief for professionals and families alike.

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Legal updates

Inquests statistics 2017 - what the numbers tell us

As has become a useful matter of a routine, the Chief Coroner’s statistics for 2017 have been released and whilst some of the subject matter may appear slightly dry, it is worth taking the time to understand what it tells us about the current landscape.

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Legal updates

Learning from deaths in the NHS – reflections on progress made one year on

In March 2017, the National Quality Board (NQB) published Learning from Deaths Guidance (the Guidance) which provides a framework for all NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts (except ambulance Trusts) for identifying, reporting, investigating and learning from deaths of patients in their care.

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Legal updates

Legal aid for families at inquest

The question of representation at inquest is always at the forefront of everyone’s minds and as someone who represents a wide variety of health, care, public and independent sector clients I often sit next to an unrepresented family.

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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.