South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Introducing a Medical Examiner Service (Jan 2019)

Summary

The creation of a national network of medical examiners (MEs) was recommended in the Shipman inquiry and was alluded to in the Mid-Staffordshire and Morecambe Bay public inquiries. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Lord O’Shaughnessy, confirmed in October 2017 that a national system of medical examiners will be introduced from April 2019.

The ME reforms set out in the 2009 Coroners Act will be implemented nationally in two phases. By April 2019, NHS trusts should set up non-statutory schemes, based upon the national pilots (particularly in Leicester, Sheffield and Gloucester), funded in part from cremation form fees, in preparation for the commencement of a statutory scheme in 2020/21. A National Medical Examiner will be appointed, reporting directly to the National Director of Patient Safety.

Content

MEs are a key element of the death certification reforms, which, once in place, will deliver a more comprehensive system of assurances for all non-coronial deaths, regardless of whether the deceased is buried or cremated. MEs will be employed in the NHS system, ensuring lines of accountability are separate from NHS Acute Trusts but allowing for access to information in the sensitive and urgent timescales to register a death.

This case study outlines the approach of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as one of the early adopter sites.

To date, the following learning points have been identified and explored:

• End of Life Care, ceilings of care and avoidable admissions
• Some investigations have highlighted cases where the End of Life Care pathway could have either been established or fully implemented, where this would have been of benefit to patients and their families. Some patients may not have been cared for in the right location, and some admissions could have been avoided if the End of Life Care pathway had been suitably established and followed.
• Early detection and response to physiological deterioration, and effective communication
• Response stretched by implementation of National Early Warning Score (NEWS) but still learning around effective communication of escalation. The use of standardised communication tools is essential.
• Record keeping and organisation of medical records
• Some learning was identified in relation to the accuracy and completeness of medical records. It was evident that not all records are reflective of the clinical picture.
• Discussion with specialty teams is vital to support the investigation
• An independent review by the ME should be further supported by speciality ‘experts’, and if possible, peer review from other trusts can be sought to allow for full independent review. Seeking speciality opinion from those not directly involved with the case within STHFT has also been shown to be effective.
• Pathways for links to wider clinical governance processes have been strengthened.