Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2017

Jeremiah Obaka

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2017-0292, written 12 Oct 2017. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report12 Oct 2017
Reference2017-0292
DeceasedJeremiah Obaka
CoronerSelena Lynch
Coroner areaSouth London
CategoryCommunity health care and emergency services related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses publishednone published

The report

Text recovered by OCR from a scanned PDF. OCR is imperfect: check anything you rely on against the source PDF. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

In the South London Coroner’s Court
Inquest touching the death of Jeremiah Obaka

Report to Prevent Future Deaths (Coroners (investigations) Regulation 28)

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:

Acting Director of Adults Services, London Borough of Sutton

CORONER

| am Selena Lynch senior coroner for the coroner area of South London

CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS

| make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
and regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/25/schedule/5
http:/Awww. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1629/part/7/made
https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/related-offices-and-bodies/office-chief-coroner/pfd-reports/

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On 2™ July 2016 | commenced an investigation into the death of Jeremiah Obaka. The
investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 25” September 2016. The
conclusion of the inquest was that Mr Obaka died from natural causes.

4 | CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

Mr Obaka was 77 years old, with a number of medical conditions including chronic
lymphoid leukaemia. He was provided with a package of care commissioned by the
local authority whereby carers would visit him at least twice a day. Carers last visited Mr
Obaka on 27" June 2016, but received no reply on subsequent visits. On 2™ July 2016
police broke into Mr Obaka’s home and found him dead. There was a dispute as to the
number and nature of communications between the local authority and the agency
commissioned to carry out the visits.

5 | CORONER'S CONCERNS

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In
my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken. In the
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.

The MATTER OF CONCERN is as follows. —
There was no agreed and consistent policy or guideline on what should happen in the
event that a service user did not reply or could not be found. The local authority (now
through a separate Limited company) and the care agency had separate and different
guidelines, neither of which had been communicated to the other.

6 | ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you have the
power to take such action.

7 | YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,
namely by 8 December 2017 |, the coroner, may extend the period.

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out
the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.

18 | COPIES and PUBLICATION

} | have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested
Persons

| 1. Absolute Care Services
2. The family of Mr Obaka

| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response.

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary
form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful
or of interest. You may make representations to me, the coroner, at the time of your
response, about the release or the publication of your response by the Chief Coroner.

DATE SIGNED BY CORONER

Dura ik Vere

12" October 2017

Related reports

Other reports by Selena Lynch

See all →

More reports categorised “Community health care and emergency services related deaths”

See all →

Track Community health care and emergency services related deaths

See every Prevention of Future Deaths report matching Community health care and emergency services related deaths, and how often a new one appears.

What would an alert for this have sent me? Search the full text

Free to try — the preview shows the real matches and how many arrived in the last 12 months. Your first email alert is free.

These reports are published by the Chief Coroner's office at judiciary.uk and are © Crown copyright. The text here is reproduced from the published PDF so it can be searched. If something on this page is wrong, or you are a person named in it and want it reviewed, email drcjar@gmail.com and we will act promptly.