Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2019

Clive Miles

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2019-0432, written 16 Dec 2019. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report16 Dec 2019
Reference2019-0432
DeceasedClive Miles
CoronerAlison Mutch
Coroner areaManchester South
CategoryCommunity health care (Including primary care, GP) related deaths · Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published1

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.

HM Coroner
Manchester South

Chief Coroner's Office
Via email: rule43reports@justice.gov.uk

16th December 2019
Our Ref: 13065/MG

Dear Sirs
RE: Clive MILES

| enclose herewith a copy of the Regulation 28 Report | have today sent to the
Accountable Officer of Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group.

| will forward a copy of the response in due course.

Yours sincerely

wsdl NCL

HM Senior Coroner

Coroner's Court

+ Mount Tabor Street

Stockport SK1 3AG

Telephone 0161 474 3993

Facsimile; 0161 474 3994.

Email coroners.office@stockport.gov.uk

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: Accountable Officer of Stockport Clinical
Commissioning Group (CCG).

CORONER

| am Alison Mutch, Senior Coroner, for the Coroner Area of Greater Manchester
South

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

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On 37 June 2019 | commenced an investigation into the death of Clive Miles.
The investigation concluded on the 29" November 2019 and the conclusion was
one of Drug Related death. The medical cause of death was 1a) Combined
toxic effects of morphine, codeine and sertraline

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

On 31st May 2019 Clive Miles was found at his home address, 14
Laburnum Way. There were no suspicious circumstances or evidence
of third party involvement in his death. Medication packs prescribed to
him were found at his address in addition to an empty oramorph box.

Toxicology found that he had a toxic amount of morphine, codeine and
sertraline in his system. The conclusion of the pathologist was that this
combination had caused his death.

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 MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. —

The inquest was told that previously Clive Miles had been changed to weekly
prescriptions because he had overdosed on prescribed medication when on
monthly prescriptions. In the week before his death his General Practitioner had
moved him back to monthly prescribing believing that the risk no longer existed
based on a discussion with him about how he was at that time. There was
limited evidence of any assessment of the risk or the need to change the
prescribing pattern. As a result he was in possession of a significantly increased

quantity of medication in comparison to the amount he had been restricted to on
weekly prescriptions.

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.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this
report, namely by 10" February 2020. |, 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.

COPIES and PUBLICATION

| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following
Interested Persons namely Mrs Erica Miles, mother of the deceased, on behalf
of the family, who may find it useful or of interest.

| 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.

Alison Mutch OBE

HM Senior Coroner
16.12.2019 , _LN.

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Responses

1 response published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (PDF)
NHS)

Stockport

Clinical Commissioning Group

4th Floor
Stopford House
Piccadilly
Stockport
SK1 3XE

Tel: 0161 426 9900
www.stockporteeg.nhs.uk

BR tg
10 FEB 2020

HM CORONER
MANCHESTER SOUTH

Your ref: 13065/MG
Our ref: STOCCG/SW/cm

Strictly Private & Confidential
Ms Alison Mutch, OBE

HM Senior Coroner

Coroner's Court

1 Mount Tabor Street

Stockport

SK1i 3AG

Dear Ms Mutch
Mr Clive Miles (RIP) - Regulation 28

I refer to your letter dated 16 December 2019 and acknowledge receipt of the Regulation 28
report in relation to this case. I was saddened to read of the circumstances of the death of
Mr Miles and would ask that you pass on my sincere condolences to his family.

You report concern in relation to the following:-

e The decision to change the prescribing frequency from weekly to monthly and whether
this was appropriate
e Limited evidence of risk assessment to support the decision

I am not aware of which GP practice the patient was registered at and do not have access to
this gentleman's consultation records. Therefore my response is not specific to this patient;
rather it is based on the scenario of any patient in similar circumstances. I hope this will be
acceptable.

The decision to amend the frequency of prescribing is based on the clinician’s judgement at
the time of the consultation. Unfortunately, there is no standard risk assessment tool that is
currently evidenced to be effective. The tools that are available are either not specific
enough or not sensitive enough. This essentially means that assessment of risk is a clinical

decision based on the clinician’s perception at the time. For your reference I have included a
link to a a report dated April 2018 entitled ‘Accuracy of risk scales for predicting repeat
self-harm and suicide: a multicentre, population-level cohort study using routine
clinical data’ which I hope will be useful to you:-

ncbi.nl

Whenever a decision is made to amend prescribing frequency my expectation is that there
would be a detailed consultation note to explain the reason for the change and the factors
considered in reaching that decision. Clearly if the notes in this case were lacking then there
is a need for reflection at that practice; I have assumed that your report has also been
shared with the practice concerned.

You refer to the appropriateness of the decision to move to monthly prescribing; this is a
difficult point for me to address based on the information available to me. What I can say is
that patients can spend a considerable time in managing the process of ordering and
collecting weekly; medications and that this is often a factor in the request to change to
monthly prescribing.

Stockport CCG is committed to learning and with this case in mind I will ensure that all GPs
across the Stockport patch are reminded of the importance of recording clear and detailed
notes explaining the basis on which any change to prescribing frequency has been made.

I am sorry that my response is not patient specific but I hope the information provided will be
helpful to you and that you are satisfied that the issues raised within your report have been
addressed.

Yours sincerely

b=

Dr Simon Woodworth
Medical Director

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