The BBC has this week been reported that some coroners in England and Wales are failing to fully investigate hospital deaths.
It has been said that:-
- There is inconsistency in the way that coroners investigate deaths and conduct inquests.
- Many coroners do not routinely examine medical records
It was hoped that the appointment of a Chief Coroner to oversee that Coronial system nationwide would resolve the problem of inconsistency, but this long awaited reform was recently abandoned by the Government to save money.
The charity Action Against Medical Accidents (‘AVMA’) has worked with scores of families across England and Wales. It says there is a huge disparity in the approach of coroners to the disclosure of documents, and that in its experience, many do not routinely obtain or read the medical records.
“If a coroner isn’t going to look at those records, then it is very difficult for a family to feel anybody’s got to the bottom of what has gone on in the events leading up to their loved one’s death,” says the head of the charity’s inquest project Lisa O’Dwyer.
The government admits urgent reform is needed to make the inquest system more consistent inEngland and Wales.
It is planning a national charter (pdf) to set out standards of service that families can expect and a new ministerial board to push forward reforms.
