Coalition calls for end to ‘preventable’ deaths in state custody or care

A coalition of more than 40 organisations has today written to the new Prime Minister asking him to address “preventable state-related deaths”.

INQUEST, alongside organisations such as Grenfell United, COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, and Liberty, are calling on Sir Keir Starmer and his new Government to bring forward legislation to prevent future deaths.

The coalition is calling on the Government to create a National Oversight Mechanism – a new independent public body responsible for monitoring recommendations from inquests, inquiries, official reviews and investigations into state-related deaths.  

A National Oversight Mechanism would collate the recommendations and responses in a national database, analyse responses from public bodies and follow up on progress.

Natasha Elcock, chair of Grenfell United – a collective of survivors and bereaved families from the Grenfell Tower fire – said she “wholeheartedly supports” the need for the National Oversight Mechanism.

Ms Elcock said: “We have seen first-hand how recommendations from Grenfell have failed to be implemented. 

“Seven years on, we now know that every single death at Grenfell could and should have been avoided. We’ve worked tirelessly to ensure our loved ones are remembered not for the way we were treated before the fire, but for the legacy that is created post the fire. But so little has changed.

“Bereaved and survivors should not have to fight to hold Government to account to ensure learning and change and that history is not repeated.” 

INQUEST is a charity which provides expertise on state related deaths. Every year INQUEST supports hundreds of families whose loved ones have died due to “preventable state related deaths”.

These include the deaths of people in police custody and prisons, mental health settings, or following disasters like Grenfell and Hillsborough, as well as broader cases involving NHS failures and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST, said: “We can all agree that when failures lead to preventable deaths, we must ensure that action is taken to keep people safe.

“Yet the preventative potential that inquiries and inquests can bring after state-related deaths is undermined by the lack of any mechanism for following up on their recommendations and action being taken.  

“This new Government must act now to enact change and prevent deaths. We need a National Oversight Mechanism to address this shocking accountability gap and ensure that when recommendations are made following deaths they are not lost or left to gather dust. 

“This would do justice to bereaved families and help protect lives.” 

A petition set up by INQUEST calling for a National Oversight Mechanism has already received 4,482 signatures.

A Ministry of Justice Spokesman said: “We know the crucial role inquests and inquiries play in preventing future tragedies, and will carefully consider the recommendations in this letter.”

For more information see the campaign webpage and petition.

Pictured top: Members of the public at the memorial at the base of Grenfell Tower in London (Picture: PA)