inquest

Ofsted says inspection not to blame for headteacher’s death

On 8 January 2023, Ruth Perry, the headteacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading, took her own life after being told that the school had been downgraded from Outstanding to Inadequate following an Ofsted inspection. Ms Perry’s family has previously blamed the Ofsted inspection for her death, and they are calling for an inquiry into …

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Clarity on Article 2 Obligations: Insights from the Supreme Court Judgement in R (Maguire)[2023]

On 21 June 2023, the Supreme Court handed down judgement in R (on the application of Maguire) (Appellant) v His Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Blackpool & Fylde and another (Respondents), the appeal of an inquest into the death of a vulnerable woman subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (“DoLS”) order. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court dismissed …

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Facing An Inquest: What Does This Mean And What Risk Does It Pose To My Business?

Health and social care providers are all too aware of the possibility of a service user dying in their care, but how prepared are you for the inquest that may follow? What might initially appear to be a routine death can quickly develop into a lengthy and complex inquiry. This can be a difficult and …

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Coroner’s Inquests – A Salutary Reminder For All Decision Makers

Within the recent case of ‘An application by Patricia Downey for Judicial Review’ [2022] NICA 67, the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland determined that a Coroner had demonstrated bias and prematurely predetermined the engagement of Article 2 before the commencement of an inquest. Background By way of background, Ms Downey’s daughter died in 2017 …

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Death of a service user? What Providers should consider if called to an Inquest

Many health and social care Providers will have had some form of contact with the Coroner’s court, whether it be simply assisting the Coroner with the provision of documentation related to the death of someone who was using or had used their services or attending an Inquest hearing. By their very nature inquests are inquisitorial …

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The Court of Appeal judgment in R (Maguire) v HM Senior Coroner for Blackpool and Fylde [2020] EWCA Civ 738 has provided clarity in relation to Article 2 obligations to protect life for care home residents

On 10 June 2020, the Court of Appeal handed their judgment down in the case of R (Maguire) v HM Senior Coroner for Blackpool and Fylde [2020] EWCA Civ 738 which held that Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights (“ECHR”), was not engaged at the inquest into the death of a vulnerable …

The Court of Appeal judgment in R (Maguire) v HM Senior Coroner for Blackpool and Fylde [2020] EWCA Civ 738 has provided clarity in relation to Article 2 obligations to protect life for care home residents Read More »

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