In a first-of-its-kind judgment a registered care home manager has been sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment for failing to attend the inquest of a resident. The manager had refused to engage with the inquest process and had already been fined £650 by the coroner before being charged with intentionally withholding evidence before an inquest. The inquest had been called following the suspected suicide of the resident in the care home.
Whilst this is the first time that anyone has been imprisoned for failing appear as a witness at an inquest, it serves as a reminder to providers (and their staff) to cooperate with the inquest process fully.
