Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2023

Jill Brice

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2023-0401, written 20 Oct 2023. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report20 Oct 2023
Reference2023-0401
DeceasedJill Brice
CoronerGareth Jones
Coroner areaWest Sussex, Brighton and Hove
CategoryOther related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published2

The report

Text extracted from the PDF text layer. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

Regulation 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS 

NOTE:  This form is to be used after an inquest. 

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT DEATHS 

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: 

1  Mr. Michael GOVE MP Secretary of State for Housing 
2 

 Chief Executive Care Quality Commission 

1  CORONER 

I am Gareth JONES, Assistant Coroner for the coroner area of West Sussex, Brighton and 
Hove 

2  CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS 

I 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. 

3 

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST 

On 04 January 2023 I commenced an investigation into the death of Jill BRICE aged 93. 
The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 18 October 2023.  The conclusion 
of the inquest was that: 

4  CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH 

Jill Brice died on the 23rd of December 2022 at Royal Sussex County Hospital in 
Brighton.  She was in sheltered housing in the Dene (Housing Association 
property).  The extractor fan in her residence 

, Brighton caught fire causing her to suffer burn injuries and smoke 

inhalation from which she died.  Mrs. Brice was not wearing her emergency 
pendant when she died.  The Fire Safety Report (attached) recommended that 
care residents be reminded to have their pendant close to them at all times.  I 
would like reassurance that this be actioned. 

5  CORONER’S CONCERNS 

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

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows: 
(brief summary of matters of concern) 

The Fire Safety Report recommended that care residents be reminded to have 
their pendant close to them at all times.  I would like reassurance that this be 
actioned. 

6  ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN 

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you (and/or 
your organisation) have the power to take such action. 

Regulation 28 – After Inquest 
Document Template Updated 30/07/2021 

 7  YOUR RESPONSE 

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report, 
namely by December 15, 2023.  I, 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. 

8  COPIES and PUBLICATION 

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

1. 
2.  East Sussex Fire & Rescue 
3.  Secretary of State for Health 
4.  Chief Executive NHS England 
5.  Teacher Housing Association 

who may find it useful or of interest. 

I am also under a duty to send a copy of your response to the Chief Coroner and all 
interested persons who in my opinion should receive it. 

I may also send a copy of your response to any person who I believe may find it useful or 
of interest. 

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. 

9  Dated: 20/10/2023 

Gareth JONES 
Assistant Coroner for 
West Sussex, Brighton and Hove 

Regulation 28 – After Inquest 
Document Template Updated 30/07/2021

Responses

2 responses 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 Care Quality Comission (PDF)
HM Assistant Coroner Gareth Jones 

Care Quality Commission 
Citygate 
Gallowgate 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE1 4PA 

www.cqc.org.uk 

11 March 2024 

Dear HM Assistant Coroner Jones, 

Response to prevention of future death report following an inquest into the 
death of Jill Brice 

Further to the naming of myself as the Chief Executive of the Care Quality 
Commission (CQC) as a respondent in the Prevention of Future Death report issued 
following the death of Jill Brice on 23 December 2022, we regret that a formal 
response has not yet been provided to your office and sincerely apologise for this. 

I recognise that the initial response was due from us by 5 December 2023 and that 
an extension of time was requested until 24 January 2024 in my letter to you of 12 
January 2024. I would like to further apologise that this response was not provided 
within the extended timescales that we had anticipated. 

We note that the concern raised in the Prevention of Future Deaths Report at part 5 
are as follows: 

The Fire Safety Report recommended that care residents be reminded to have 
their pendant close to them at all times.  I would like reassurance that this be 
actioned. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide reassurance required regarding this concern 
or to comment upon it. The accommodation where Jill Brice resided was sheltered 
accommodation managed by the Teachers Housing Association, a not-for-profit 
charitable organisation. This organisation is not registered with us and therefore not 
regulated by us. The Teachers Association would not be required to register with us 
unless it was providing a regulated activity, as defined in section 8 of the Health and 
Social Care Act 2008 and Part 1 paragraph 2 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 
(Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014.   

We understand that the Teachers Association is an organisation registered with the 
Homes and Communities Agency as a Registered Provider (registration Number 
LH0426); affiliated with the National Housing Federation, registered with the 
Financial Services Authority under the Co-Operative Community Benefit Societies 
Act 2014 (Registration Number 17955R). 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Our National Enforcement Team has reviewed the information available and based 
on that information is of the view that the Teachers Housing Association is not 
providing a regulated activity and as such does not require registration with us.  

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us further. 

Yours sincerely,  

Chief Executive
Response from Care Quality Commission (PDF)
HM Assistant Coroner Gareth Jones 

Care Quality Commission 
Citygate 
Gallowgate 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE1 4PA 

www.cqc.org.uk 

12 January 2024 

Dear HM Assistant Coroner Jones, 

Regulation 28 Report following the inquest into the death of Jill Brice 

Thank you for your Regulation 28 Prevention of Future Deaths.  

We apologise for the delay in providing our formal response to the Regulation 28 
report dated 10 October 2023, which we recognize should have been provided to 
you by 5 December 2023.  

Due to a processing error, your Regulation 28 report was not considered for review 
until 2 January 2024. We take Regulation 28 reports very seriously and value the 
information contained within them for the purposes of helping inform proper 
discharge of our regulatory functions. We therefore very much regret the delay that 
this error has caused. We will seek to address that error at pace with process 
improvements to ensure that there is no repetition of the issue.  

We have undertaken a rapid review of the concerns raised in your Regulation 28 
report and established that the location where Mrs Brice was residing at the time of 
her death, namely the Dene, The Green, Rottingdean, Brighton, was not registered 
with us.  

We have also reached the provisional view that the location, appears to fall outside 
the scope of registration with us, and so outside the scope of regulation by us. We 
have formed that provisional view following analysis of the information in your report, 
the Record of Inquest, Fire Investigation report and additional enquiries undertaken. 
Our analysis is that none of the information gathered indicates that registrable 
regulated activities requiring registration with us, under Schedule 1 of the Health and 
Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 or CQC Scope of 
Registration, were carried on.  

However, in order to prepare and provide a considered formal response to your 
Regulation 28 report, we wish to gather further information to inform a considered 
and thorough assessment. In those circumstances, we respectfully request: 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 1.  that you grant us interested person status as a sufficiently interested person 
under section 47(2)(m) of the Coroners Act 2009, and provide disclosure of 
the coronial bundle pursuant to Rule 13 of the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 
2013 (Rule13); and  

2.  That you grant an extension until 24 January 2024 for submission of our 

formal response to your Regulation 28 report.  

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions arising.  

Yours sincerely,  

Chief Executive

Related reports

Other reports by Gareth Jones

See all →

More reports categorised “Other related deaths”

See all →

Track Gareth Jones

See every Prevention of Future Deaths report matching Gareth Jones, 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.