NHS spends £30 million on preparing staff for inquests into patient deaths
One trust spent over £650,000 in a single year
8 February 2021 • 5:00am
NHS trusts have spent £30 million on “witness coaching” for inquiries into a series of hospital scandals, a Telegraph investigation has found.
Since 2012, NHS hospitals have spent over £28,000,000 on preparation for staff for coroners inquests into patient deaths, according to newly-released data.
One trust spent over £650,000 in a single year, amid accusations that NHS staff are still being “coached” to give model answers to influence coroners to limit damage to a hospital’s reputation.
“The fact that NHS trusts are spending such large amounts of taxpayers’ money on legal advice re inquests, when most bereaved families are left to fend for themselves is scandalous,” says Peter Walsh, Chief Executive of Action Against Medical Accidents (AVMA).