Tracking preventable deaths in October 2024

Coroners' reports have reached a record high, and the year is not over yet

Welcome to the Preventable Deaths Tracker’s monthly review of coroner reports. Last month, the Chancellor presented the UK’s Autumn Budget, which saw increased investment for the NHS (£22.6 billion), prisons and probation (£2.3 billion), and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) was allocated an additional £1.9 billion. Whether MOJ’s additional budget makes its way to the service in crisis, The Coroner Service, will be one to track.

The Budget also mentioned a potential increase in alcohol duties to “tackle” increasing alcohol-related deaths. In Scotland, the implementation of alcohol minimum unit pricing on 1 May 2018 has significantly reduced deaths and hospitalisations attributed to alcohol consumption. The PDT has started an investigation into alcohol-related deaths reported by coroners in England and Wales; stay tuned for the publication of our findings.

While analysing the October data as the afternoons get colder and darker in the northern hemisphere and seeing the record-high number of coroners’ reports, my thoughts drift back home to Australia. Firstly, to the much warmer and brighter days. Then, to the data ‘lake’ of coronial information that has been systematically collected in a centralised database for over 24 years, where lessons are indeed learnt to prevent future deaths.

Learning from the antipodeans

To bring a touch of Australian sunshine, I’m delighted to host one of Australia’s esteemed Professors, Noel Woodford, at King’s College London on Monday, 25 November. Prof Woodford is a Forensic Pathologist, the Director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), and Chair of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash University, Australia. This in-person event is open to all - so if you’re in London, sign up and come along!

Now, onto the monthly review of coroner reports published in October, where the data has reached a record high.