Tracking preventable deaths in February 2025

Relaunching the website, the government's response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and a whole lot of sunshine

February was a big month for the Preventable Deaths Tracker. I relaunched the new website and interactive dashboard - a huge thank you to everyone who has downloaded data - this support keeps us tracking.

Transforming learning from avoidable deaths

Moments after relaunching the new Preventable Deaths Tracker website, I flew to Australia for a whirlwind trip, starting in Melbourne, the home of coronial data. On February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I gave a talk at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) and caught up with Prof Noel Woodford, who gifted me some VIFM merch to stay protected from the Aussie sun!

Visiting the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine in Melbourne with Prof Woodford and the brilliant Assoc Prof Jennifer Schumann.

Later that day, I visited the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) in the Department of Justice and Community Safety. Led by Ally Watson, I met the team behind Australia and New Zealand’s secure research database that collates information from ALL inquests - something the PDT can only dream of. There’s a lot we can learn from the NCIS, including its governance, funding, and how the data is classified and coded.

Visiting the NCIS and finally meeting Ally Watson in person after years of emails.

I then headed home to Queensland, where I met with the State Coroner, Magistrate Terry Ryan, Deputy State Coroner Magistrate Stephanie Gallagher, and the wider Coroners Court of Queensland team. I shared the work of the Preventable Deaths Tracker, and we had some excellent discussions about the need to track recommendations across the health and justice systems. My highlight was learning that they have recently hired Data Analysts who are identifying ways to use data generated from death investigations - miles ahead of the UK! Cyclone Alfred has recently devastated Queensland, which has barely made the UK news, so I am thinking of those back home who are recovering and rebuilding again.

Visiting the Coroners Court of Queensland, Australia

My final visits were to the University of Sydney and Bond University. In Sydney, I delivered a lecture hosted by the Wiser Healthcare collaboration, with thanks to Prof Paul Glasziou and the Pandemic Evidence Collaboration for funding and hosting me.

Lecture at the University of Sydney (left) and meeting at Bond University (right) Dr Jones, Prof Glasziou, and Dr Byambasuren for the Pandemic Evidence Collaboration.

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On February 26, the government responded to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, accepting 49 recommendations in full and nine “in principle”. This may seem like a success, but meaningful change will take at least 10 years, and there are many caveats.

Recommendation 25, which concerns the work of the Preventable Deaths Tracker, was one of the nine accepted “in principle.”

The government recognised the work of the Preventable Deaths Tracker in their response under section 148, but it doesn’t go far enough. The Preventable Deaths Tracker remains unfunded and unstaffed.

Now, onto the February statistics.