Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is NHS policy to carry out an inquest if a patient dies within 48 hours of being admitted to hospital.

Inquests are not NHS policy but are instead a matter for coroners. All deaths in England (and Wales) that are not referred to a coroner are considered by an independent Medical Examiner. Where there are any concerns about healthcare provided to the deceased in the run up to the death, Medical Examiners can refer the case for further consideration via local clinical governance processes.

The NHS’ approach to Learning from Deaths is set out in the National Guidance on Learning from Deaths. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-guidance-on-learning-from-deaths/.