Preventing deaths from anaphylaxis: Harnessing information from coroners to save lives (22 October 2025)

Summary

Families who have lost loved ones to food allergies have come together to launch a landmark report exposing critical failings in the UK coronial system, and call for urgent action to prevent future deaths from anaphylaxis.

Content

The report, carried out in collaboration with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, reveals that the lives of people with severe food allergies are being put at risk because the UK is failing to learn lessons from coroners’ investigations. Coroners serve a vital role in society by providing independent, transparent investigations into sudden, unexplained, or unnatural deaths, so that lessons can be learned to prevent future deaths. Yet the new report reveals that while food allergy related deaths by their very nature are sudden and unexpected, not all result in an inquest.

• On average, only two Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports involving anaphylaxis are issued each year.
• 40% of organisations fail to respond to PFD reports within the statutory 56 days.
• 52% take no action following a report.
• No statistics are collected to determine how many deaths are investigated by coroners that involve the most severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis.

These findings show that the current inquest system is inadequate to prevent repeated tragedies.

The report calls for urgent reforms to the inquest system, including:

1. A statutory national database of all deaths investigated by coroners.
2. Mandatory coroner investigations for all anaphylaxis deaths.
3. Parliamentary oversight to ensure responses to PFD reports are transparent and accountable.
4. Appointment of an Allergy Tsar, a national allergy champion to drive change.
5. Mandatory national reporting of all anaphylactic events, including near-fatal reactions.

Related reading on the hub:

• Why allergies are the Cinderella service of the NHS – a blog by Tim McLachlan
• Prevention of Future Deaths Report: Celia Marsh (21 November 2022)