investigating a suspected medical negligence death

Medical Negligence Death Reports are only part of a bigger process. If you suspect medical negligence caused a death there are procedures that will help. The Postmortem based upon autopsy or 3D scanning and blood tests is helpful. The witnesses will give statements to the coroner and these can help fill in gaps in the clinical records.  

You may have access to reports such as the CQC or the hospital review but they are difficult to read and use technical language. They may not reach a conclusion but instead criticise specific issues. These criticisms can be distracting and often have nothing to do with the cause of the death. 

It can take hours or days of work to collate all the records and other evidence. Each individual in the coronial process will only consider their part of the puzzle as they are specialists. Having a report from a generalist who has seen all the evidence may allow a more complete picture to emerge. Often the Medical Negligence Death Report uncovers clues or provides questions that would otherwise be missed. 

The coroner’s role is to determine by what means the person died. This is often not what the family want. They want to understand how a person who might have been previously well died without the right treatment. They want justice for their loved one and want a clear statement of who was to blame. The coroner cannot provide any of these answers. 

Often a person dies because they have a serious condition but do not receive prompt or proper treatment. The current system of death certification makes it difficult for this to be included. Although a coroner can make a finding of misadventure, contributed to by neglect or a narrative conclusion these are rare. The coroner needs to be convinced that the person would have survived if they had the treatment. 

A full Medical Negligence Death Report considering the death and all the evidence includes a chat with the family. It will provide an overview of the events from a neutral perspective can help direct efforts to obtain missing evidence. A list of questions to the specialist experts can ensure that the coroner’s court gets a full picture. The report can also help address the family’s needs for answers.

The cost is from £360 plus VAT.