Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2025
Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2025-0392, written 12 Jun 2025. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.
| Date of report | 12 Jun 2025 |
|---|---|
| Reference | 2025-0392 |
| Deceased | Oscar Keenan |
| Coroner | Judith Leach |
| Coroner area | Oxfordshire |
| Category | Child Death (from 2015) · Emergency services related deaths (2019 onwards) |
| Source | judiciary.uk record · original PDF |
| Responses published | 4 |
Text extracted from the PDF text layer. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.
OSCAR MICHAEL THOMAS KEENAN REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS (1) NOTE: This form is to be used after an inquest. REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: 1. South Central Ambulance service. Quality Improvement. 2. NHSE/ NHS digital 1 CORONER I am Judith Leach, assistant coroner for the coroner area of Oxfordshire 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 3 May 2025, I concluded an inquest into the death of Oscar Keenan, age 30 days. I made a narrative determination, which I attach. I concluded that the medical cause of death was 1a sepsis 1b Escherichia coli bacteraemia. 1c antenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis with Rt pelvicalyceal dilatation on prenatal ultrasound 2. nil recorded I gave a brief narrative conclusion as follows: Oscar died following sepsis caused by an underlying naturally occurring e-coli infection. At the time Oscar was not receiving antibiotic prophylaxis. 4 CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH Oscar was born on 27 May 2024 with a pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO). An anomaly that was first seen on antenatal scanning. He remained well after a short course of antibiotics and was discharged home. Th inquest heard that antibiotics were to have been restarted but this did not happen. This anomaly can carry a risk of infection. On 26 June 2024 Oscar’s condition deteriorated rapidly and catastrophically following a bacterial infection that was sensitive to the prescribed (but not received) antibiotics. A call was made to the 111 at 05.31 on 26 June 2024 reporting that Oscar was having breathing difficulties. The call handlers who use the algorithms are non-clinical and cannot identify a more urgent situation by asking the right questions of the caller. Also, the algorithm does not appear to assist in early identification of a serious problem in a newborn. A GP was asked to call back within the hour which occurred and after questioning the family, the GP instructed the parents to take Oscar immediately to the nearest ED (John Radcliffe). The GP then pre-alerted the hospital. Oscar was found to have sepsis and this led to his death in hospital that same day. A separate regulation 28 report has also been sent to the GP service. 5 CORONER’S CONCERNS During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion the 111 algorithm is not effective in assessing the deteriorating newborn particularly in the case of altered breathing and sepsis. 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] (1) The apparent inadequacies of the present algorithm in assessing ill newborns/ infants, particularly in identifying significant respiratory problems that require early clinical assessment (2) Total reliance on the algorithm which does not appear to direct early clinical input. (3) A delay/lack of direction in obtaining clinical assessment. I have concerns that this is widespread and could occur in other areas. 6 ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths, and I believe you/your organisation 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 7th August 2025. 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: Oscars parents The Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trusts 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 other 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. 9 [DATE] 12.06.2025 [SIGNED BY CORONER]
4 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.
Care Quality Commission Citygate Gallowgate Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA Telephone: 03000 616161 www.cqc.org.uk Ms Judith Leach, HM Assistant Coroner for Oxfordshire Oxfordshire Coroner's Court County Hall New Road Oxford Sent by email to Car 08 August 2025 Our reference: Dear HM Assistant Coroner Ms Judith Leach, Re: Regulation 28 Report following the inquest into the death of Oscar Michael Thomas Keenan Thank you for raising the Regulation 28 report with us, following the inquest into the sad death of Oscar Michael Thomas Keenan on 26 June 2024 that occurred following his admission to the emergency department at the John Radcliffe part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I note the legal requirement upon the CQC to respond to your report within 56 days, and I would like to express my gratitude for kindly providing us with two days’ extension. I would like to express my deepest condolences to Oscar’s parents and wider family for their loss. Following the receipt of your letter the local inspection team reviewed the risk profile of the service and all information we held including any other concerns received. We contacted Unity Health, the provider who confirmed they launched an investigation and were reviewing how to improve their systems to prevent reoccurrence. We also shared these concerns you flagged up with the relevant Integrated Care Board for the area. You identified the following three areas of concern which I responded to below: The misunderstanding and miscommunication that registration with a GP cannot take place until a birth is registered. GP practices in England that offer NHS services do this through a GP contract that is held between the practice and the relevant Integrated Care Board (ICB). As part of this contract, practices are mandated to provide emergency treatment to anyone within their practice area, regardless of whether they are registered with the practice or not. The Care Quality Commission does not regulate against the GP contract, and therefore the oversight of this process is better placed with the practice's ICB as the commissioner. Anyone can register and consult with a GP without charge, as outlined within the NHS Constitution, however, specific points regarding how the registration process should operate, and when practices can refuse a patient's registration request are outlined within the GP contract. Practices should not refuse a patient's registration if they cannot provide proof of identity or immigration status. Therefore, practices should not typically be refusing a patient's registration if a birth certificate cannot be produced. However, this would again be for the ICB to oversee as the Care Quality Commission does not have jurisdiction over when practices register or do not register patients. We may include aspects of practices’ registration processes as part of our inspection, under the 'Equity in Access' quality statement. However, we would not be able to take enforcement action against practices, purely around the registration of new patients, as it is not within our regulations to do so. Where we comment on registration concerns, it could be due to a practice excluding a particular patient group such as homeless patients, because of a lack of ID or fixed address. In such circumstances, we may need to take action from an equity perspective. Communication between the GP surgery and the external filtering company. We are unable to comment on the communication between the GP surgery and the external filtering company, and the practice is best placed to provide this information. That Instructions to commence treatment can be lost in similar circumstances. It is not in the Care Quality Commission’s powers to implement or enforce a uniform process whereby treatment of patients is transferred from hospitals to other providers to avoid a similar incident occurring in the future. We recognise this may be a particular concern for other patients who may not be registered with GPs, such as Travellers, those with no fixed abode or people non-resident in the UK. Therefore, the hospital should have procedures in place to ensure aftercare can be provided to these patient groups. Integrated Care Boards and NHS England will be better placed to assist with implementation of a uniform process to avoid a situation such as this occurring in the future. We contacted the provider in question, and they confirmed they promptly reviewed their processes and implemented a new system, when as soon as they’re notified about a birth, they will create a new profile i.e. ‘Baby (Surname)’. The provider recognised this approach was not completely fail safe, as it could potentially mean there is a duplicate account at another provider for said child, should the parents wish to register their child elsewhere. We have already flagged this issue with the ICB for the area and will continue liaising with them and the local NHS England teams. The ICB and NHS England will be able to consider how to address these concerns via their contracting processes and how to disseminate this to other practices. We will be sharing details of this incident and the associated findings with the Care Quality Commission’s Primary Care inspection teams at our monthly update and upskilling call. We will continue to monitor the intelligence about the practice in line with our regulatory processes. Yours sincerely, Deputy Director
Ms Judith Leach
HM Assistant Coroner
Oxfordshire Coroner’s Service
The Oxford Register Office
2nd Floor
1 Tidmarsh Lane
Oxford
OX1 1NS
Dear Ms Leach,
Co-National Medical Director
NHS England
Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8UG
5th August 2025
Re: Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths – Oscar Keenan who died
on 26 June 2024.
Thank you for your Report to Prevent Future Deaths (hereafter “Report”) dated 12
June 2025 concerning the death of Oscar Keenan on 26 June 2024. In advance of
responding to the specific concerns raised in your Report, I would like to express my
deep condolences to Oscar’s parents and wider family. I was very sorry to be informed
of the extremely sad circumstances surrounding Oscar’s death. NHS England is keen
to assure Oscar’s parents and yourself that the concerns raised about Oscar’s care
have been listened to and reflected upon.
Your report raised concerns about the NHS Pathways algorithm in assessing
deteriorating newborns, particularly in the case of altered breathing and sepsis. In
particular, you raised the following three concerns:
1. There are apparent inadequacies with the present algorithm in assessing ill
newborns/infants, particularly in identifying significant respiratory problems that
require early clinical assessment.
2. There is total reliance on the algorithm which does not appear to direct early
clinical input.
3. There is/was a delay/lack of direction in obtaining a clinical assessment.
Background of NHS Pathways Clinical Decision Support System
NHS Pathways is the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) used for remote
clinical assessment (triage) in urgent and emergency care. In use since 2005, it
underpins all NHS 111 services and more than half of England’s 999 telephony
systems. The tool also supports online triage, in-person and enhanced clinical
assessments via modules such as the NHS Pathways Clinical Consultation Support
(PaCCS) system.
The safety of NHS Pathways triage outcomes - known as "dispositions" - is overseen
by the National Clinical Assurance Group (NCAG), an independent intercollegiate
body hosted by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Alongside this external
scrutiny, NHS Pathways aligns its content with up-to-date national clinical guidance,
including from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), the UK
Resuscitation Council and the UK Sepsis Trust.
The system supports over 2.5 million triage assessments each month across
telephone, digital, and face-to-face settings.
NHS Pathways follows a structured clinical hierarchy. Serious and potentially life-
threatening symptoms are assessed first to ensure rapid escalation - such as
dispatching an ambulance or involving a clinician. The assessment then progresses
to less urgent symptoms, identifying the most appropriate level of care. The tool is not
diagnostic. Instead, it works by systematically ruling out more serious causes of
symptoms to ensure safe, efficient triage. Relevant history is gathered where clinically
necessary to minimise triage time while maintaining safety.
In telephone settings, assessments are conducted by specially trained non-clinical
health advisors. These advisors complete a rigorous training programme and are
supported at all times by clinicians. If a case is complex or unclear, health advisors
are required to escalate to clinical colleagues. It is therefore a condition of the NHS
Pathways licence that clinical supervision and escalation support must be available
24/7.
I respond to each of your matters of concern below.
1. The apparent inadequacies of the present algorithm in assessing ill
identifying significant respiratory
in
newborns/infants, particularly
problems that require early clinical assessment.
NHS England understands how critical early clinical assessment can be in cases such
as Oscar’s. As is the usual process, the organisation has carefully reviewed this case.
Having sought further details from South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) and
audited the call and its outcome, whilst Oscar’s symptoms did not meet the criteria for
an immediate Category 1 or 2 ambulance response, the system’s safety net was
activated due to his father’s report that he was not behaving normally. This led to an
outcome of an emergency, expert clinician review – as indicated by the disposition, for
GP assessment within an hour.
The NHS Pathways system is designed to identify signs of respiratory distress in
infants through a structured set of questions, tailored by age group. These include
indicators such as increased work of breathing, reduced consciousness level, changes
in muscle tone changes, and signs of fatigue.
We recognize that the remote assessment of very young babies is inherently
challenging, and we continuously refine the system based on clinical feedback and
real-world cases. In Oscar’s case – and in accordance with the investigation at SCAS
- the review concluded that the algorithm functioned as intended, and no changes
were required. However, every case contributes to our ongoing learning and
improvement.
We remain committed to ensuring that NHS Pathways provides the safest possible
guidance for infants and their families, and we welcome continued dialogue to
strengthen this further. This case is reportable to NCAG and to other oversight groups
within NHS England, where opportunities for learning and improvement – whether in
the algorithms themselves, or the systems they operate in - are considered.
2. Total reliance on the algorithm which does not appear to direct early
clinical input.
Calls to NHS 111 or 999 are taken by specially trained health advisors. Though non-
clinical, these advisors undergo comprehensive structured training to ensure they can
use the NHS Pathways algorithm safely and effectively. This includes classroom
learning, assessments and preceptorship (a structured period of support for newly
qualified professionals). Once working independently, health advisors must be
supervised by clinical staff, to whom they must have access to for guidance and
support whenever there is uncertainty or complexity. Requirements relating to this are
set out in the NHS Pathways Licence.
A fundamental component of training is learning how to manage complex calls. The
"complex call process" provides a clear protocol for health advisors to seek assistance
or transfer a complex call to a clinician. This process should be followed in situations
involving declared medications, medical procedures, or terminology that complicates
triage, or when the advisor feels they have reached the limits of their knowledge or
understanding. This approach is reinforced by the training motto:
“If in doubt, shout.”
In their audit of the call, SCAS concluded that the health advisor should have initiated
the complex call process. This was due to the audible breathing sounds and Oscar’s
father's description. This assessment is supported by NHS England’s NHS Pathways
Team following their review of the call. This means that, whilst the health advisor did
reach the system safety-net of an emergency call back from a GP, the call should have
entered a process where the immediate assistance of a clinician was sought. This is
considered in more detail in SCAS’s response to HM Coroner, dated 22 July 2025.
We note the development of additional training and a bespoke breathing package at
SCAS, alongside reminders of the processes in place to ensure compliance with
training and shared learning.
3. A delay/lack of direction in obtaining clinical assessment
Health advisors using the NHS Pathways system must have access to clinical support
and supervision. They are trained to use probing questions to better understand caller
responses. If a call is complex, uncertain, or includes three “not sure” answers,
advisors are expected to seek clinical input. This support should be available
immediately through a ‘warm transfer’ to a clinician, as required by the system’s
Licence. To encourage this, NHS Pathways promotes the motto: “If in doubt, shout.”
The system generates a recommended outcome (disposition), which is then matched
to services commissioned locally. The availability of these services is managed locally.
I would also like to provide further assurances on the national NHS England work
taking place around the Reports to Prevent Future Deaths. All reports received are
discussed by the Regulation 28 Working Group, comprising Regional Medical
Directors, and other clinical and quality colleagues from across the regions. This
ensures that key learnings and insights around events, such as the sad death of Oscar,
are shared across the NHS at both a national and regional level and helps us to pay
close attention to any emerging trends that may require further review and action.
Thank you for bringing these important patient safety issues to my attention and please
do not hesitate to contact me should you need any further information. Once again, I
am very sorry for Oscar’s parents’ loss and hope that this letter will provide some
reassurance around the triage systems used in initial assessment in the urgent &
emergency system of care.
Yours sincerely,
National Medical Director
NHS England
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust Unit 7 & 8 Talisman Business Park Talisman Road Bicester, Oxon OX26 6HR Tel: 01869 365000 PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL Mrs Judith Leach HM Assistant Coroner for Oxfordshire Via email only ( ) 22nd July 2025 Dear Mrs Leach, I am writing to you in response to the concerns that you highlighted to the Trust following the inquest hearing into the very sad death of baby Oscar Michael Thomas Keenan that concluded on 3rd May 2025. Thank you for allowing us the time to review and respond to your concerns. At the outset I would like to offer my personal condolences to baby Oscar’s parents. To confirm, your Regulation 28 report relates to concerns regarding the adequacy of the algorithm built into the NHS Pathways clinical decision software support system when assessing ill newborns or infants. Your report was also issued to NHS England because they design and manage the NHS Pathways system and will be able to consider whether a change to the algorithm itself is required. It is disappointing that the Trust were not provided with the opportunity to participate in the inquest hearing. I understand that the court were aware of concerns that had been raised by baby Oscar’s parents regarding the outcome of the 111 call in advance of the hearing. It is regretful that evidence was not requested from the Trust in response to these concerns as would usually be the case. Actions taken by the Trust shortly after baby Oscar’s death. At the Joint Agency Response meeting held on 28th June 2024, the Chair of the meeting, D , questioned whether the response reached at the end of the 111 call was appropriate. This prompted the Trust to review the call to see whether it was managed appropriately. The call was audited on the same day and regrettably it was identified that there were missed opportunities for a higher disposition (call outcome) to have been reached. The audit identified that the Health Advisor should have probed further using supportive information contained within the NHS Pathways system in relation to Oscar’s breathing. The auditor determined that if after probing a clear answer had not been received, the Health Advisor should have requested advice from a clinician. Due to the comments made on the call by Oscar’s parents and their description of his breathing, it was determined that a Category 2 ambulance response disposition should have been reached at the end of the 111 call. On behalf of the Trust, I am very sorry that a lower outcome was reached. On 1st July 2024, the case was discussed at the Trust’s Daily Critical Review meeting. This meeting is led by our Patient Safety Team who determine whether any wider review is required under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework when a concern is identified. The outcome of this meeting was that the Patient Safety Team were satisfied a wider review by the Trust was not required. A meeting was held with the Health Advisor on 2nd July 2024 to feedback the results of the call audit and a call review plan was initiated to ensure that individual learning took place, and any support required was implemented. A call review plan details any specific support / learning / development actions required to address the area(s) of development highlighted within the non-compliant audit. The plan is accompanied by any relevant support materials, for example, NHS Pathways Hot Topics, extracts from NHS Pathways training materials, shared learning documents, local policies / procedures. At the audit feedback meeting, the call recording was played to the Health Advisor and the issues highlighted within the non- compliant audit were discussed with him in detail. The Health Advisor has continued to have regular random audits performed in line with the requirements of the NHS Pathways licence and their performance is in line with expected standards. Review undertaken after receipt of the Regulation 29 report. Following receipt of your report, the case was reviewed at the Trust’s Safety Review Panel which comprises of Assistant Directors from the clinical and medical teams, our Consultant Pre Hospital Care Practitioner, clinical governance leads, members of our safeguarding and quality improvement teams and our Patient Safety Specialist. The panel noted the speed at which the Trust ensured that feedback was provided to the Health Advisor following the call taking place and determined that the error made is not an issue that is occurring Trust wide, so a learning response was not required under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework. In addition to the above, our Clinical Coordination Centre (CCC) Quality Improvement Team have considered points 2 and 3 of the concerns raised and they are satisfied that there is not an inherent or recurrent issue of staff not seeking clinical advice when appropriate to do so within our call centres. As indicated at the beginning of this letter, the Trust is a user of the NHS Pathways system, and we are consequently not able to alter the algorithms contained within it, only NHS England can do this. We have therefore focused our review and response on the training that is provided to Emergency Call Takers and Health Advisors who use the NHS Pathways system and the process in place for identifying any themes or that indicate additional wider training may be required. Core NHS Pathways training is set by NHS England, and it is a condition of the NHS Pathways licence that their training programme is followed. This training is delivered within SCAS by local trainers who have attended national ‘train the trainer’ sessions to ensure consistency across all providers. In addition to the core training, the Trust has a dedicated CCC Quality Improvement team who are responsible for sharing learning with call centre staff as new and emerging themes and trends are identified from a wide range of sources including, but not exclusively, case reviews in preparation for Coronial proceedings (See SCAS Shared Learning Processes_CCC document enclosed with this letter). Generic common themes are reviewed monthly by the Quality Improvement team and associated shared learning material is issued at least once a month. Factsheets, posters, and anonymised case studies are issued as their main media for this because these methods have been identified through staff feedback as being an effective way of disseminating learning. The team also use podcasts and share links to other associated reference materials where relevant. Shared learning is issued via email with an embedded MS Forms acknowledgement link that is mandatory for colleagues to click on to acknowledge that they have read and understood 2 the content. Compliance with shared learning acknowledgement is monitored and managed by operational line managers. All acknowledgement forms have the option for individuals to flag that they require further information to aid their understanding, and the CCC Quality Improvement team will then follow up with those individuals to ensure that they have a good understanding of the relevant topic, and they are safe to continue working in their role. To further gauge understanding and comprehension of the content within any shared learning materials issued, there is a monthly Quick Quiz for both service lines (111 and 999) comprising of 10 true / false and / or multiple-choice questions. The questions are drawn from any recent Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Change Notices, shared learning materials, existing SOPs, and general triage principles for the NHS Pathways system. The quiz is facilitated via MS Forms which allows staff who submit incorrect answers to see explanations of the correct answer with sign posting to the source reference materials. Quick Quizzes have included questions regarding assessing a patient’s breathing in July 2024, August 2024, September 2024 and April 2025 and regarding when and how to pass a call to a clinician every month since December 2024. The Quality Improvement team have confirmed to me that because assessing the adequacy of breathing can be difficult over the telephone, a bespoke ‘breathing’ package was developed to aid the education of staff. In this package, staff select a sound recording to play which demonstrates a type of breathing pattern and they then have to confirm which type of breathing they have heard. This package is provided to all new starters and is available for all staff to access on an ongoing basis. All shared learning material is available for staff to access on a dedicated page on the staff intranet along with Hot Topics issued by NHS Pathways. It is the intention of the Quality Improvement team to include questions specifically related to assessing breathing in children (including neonates) over the coming months. Having considered the robust processes and additional training that the Trust currently has in place, I am satisfied that these measures are sufficient to mitigate the chance of a similar error occurring when a call is taken by a member of our call centre team. This does not take away from how truly tragic baby Oscar’s death was. Should NHS England decide to update the algorithm contained within NHS Pathways, this will of course mean that SCAS staff will have access to this updated version upon its release. I hope that this letter has adequately addressed the concerns that you have raised. Should , Head of Legal you wish to discuss these matters further, please contact Services at the Trust who will be able to facilitate this. Yours sincerely, Chief Executive SCAS Shared Learning Processes CCC 3 CCC SHARED LEARNING PROCESSES Contents Dissemination ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 Routine Quality Assurance Audit Process ............................................................................................................ 3 Datix Review Findings ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Learning from Deaths Review .................................................................................................................................. 3 Learning from Experience Forum ............................................................................................................................ 3 Clinical Governance Reviews ................................................................................................................................... 4 Patient Surveys ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Coroner Cases .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 NHS Pathways System Issues .................................................................................................................................. 5 NHS Pathways System Updates .............................................................................................................................. 5 111 End to End Review Meetings ............................................................................................................................ 5 Examples of CCC Shared Learning ......................................................................................................................... 5 Wider Trust Communications ................................................................................................................................... 7 Dissemination CCC Shared Learning is currently issued using one (or more) of the following mediums: • CCC SOP Change Notices These are issued via CCC Operations aimed at specific service lines, e.g., 111, 999, or the whole CCC. • CCC Memos These are issued via CCC Operations aimed at specific service lines, e.g., 111, 999, or the whole CCC. • Take Note! A brief key point memo highlighting a new or revised process based on a simple ‘Experience? Reflection? Action?’ model. • CCC SCAScade An anonymised case study providing detailed analysis of a topic. • Did You Know? Poster format with headline facts and/or informational statements about a topic, typically issued alongside a more detailed Factsheet. • CCC Factsheet Detailed information about a topic linking in with system use and providing references for further reading. • CCC Quick Quiz End-of-the-month 10 question quiz for any learning issued during that month. Content covers recent SOP Change Notices and Shared Learning materials along with existing SOPs and Pathways triage principles. Quiz answers with embedded links to source reference materials are posted on the HUB. • CCC Quick Quiz Spotlight Detailed explanation and analysis of Quick Quiz questions that have failed to receive responses of 80% or higher on more than 1 occasion (after potential re-phrasing and correct response explanation). Shared Learning materials issued for Datix learning are uploaded to the relevant Datix record. Specific Shared Learning actions arising from Datix reviews are logged and tracked on Datix. CCC Quick Quiz results are tracked, and questions receiving responses of less than 80% are reviewed and re-quizzed to monitor for improvements. Questions and training materials are reviewed as appropriate to support better understanding. CCC Shared Learning July 2024 There are several streams of information that feed into potential CCC Shared Learning: Routine Quality Assurance Audit Process All NHS Pathways trained staff taking 111/999 calls from the public receive monthly routine audits for quality assurance purposes. The audits are conducted according to the NHS Pathways Licence requirements which has two audit tiers: those staff taking more than 200 calls per month receive a minimum of 3 random audits per month; those staff taking less than 200 calls per month (or who have been employed for less than 6 months) receive a minimum of 5 random audits per month. Side-by-side audits are considered the gold standard as they facilitate immediate feedback post- call, and potentially in-call support. Calls are audited against defined NHS Pathways Audit Competencies and correct adherence to local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). All audits include constructive feedback which is passed to the individual via email. Feedback from non-compliant audits is provided face-to-face by the auditor wherever possible. Where different working patterns prevent this, feedback is provided by colleagues (other auditors, 111 Team Leaders or 999 Senior Emergency Call Takers). Clinicians may receive initial feedback via email until a face-to-face review can be arranged. Routine audit feedback typically involves information about skilled questioning, effective probing, active listening, and correct system navigation as the most common audit competencies where individual development areas are highlighted. Themes and trends identified through routine audit are communicated with CCC colleagues via a monthly email sent with an MS Forms acknowledgment link embedded within. Datix Review Findings Feedback is received via Datix enquiries logged by internal colleagues and external routes reported by the Clinical Governance and Patient Experience teams from concerns, complaints, and HCP feedback. As part of the case review process any associated calls are audited, and individual feedback is provided as outlined above. Identified themes and trends from case reviews and complaints are reported to commissioners by the Trust Clinical Governance Leads, and this information is also shared with the Education Team so that Educators and Coaches can use real- case examples to support their training scenarios. When the Datix are completed, feedback is emailed to the reporter before it’s closed. Learning from Deaths Review Cases are examined by a Mortality and Morbidity Review Group and any concerns about CCC involvement are fed back via the Learning from Experience forum and shared with the Quality Improvement team. Learning from Experience Forum This is a SCAS-wide bi-monthly meeting to share learning across all areas of the Trust. CCC Shared Learning July 2024 Clinical Governance Reviews The Clinical Governance teams review potential cases of concern and present them as emerging incidents to a Safety Review Panel for multi-disciplinary discussion. Cases are benchmarked against the NHS Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) criteria to determine the level of further review and action. Following a robust case review process, draft reports are reviewed by the specific service line Clinical Governance meetings for further discussion and any identified learning is fed back to the Quality Improvement team. Completed reports are returned to the Incident Review Panel for final approval before being submitted to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioners. Patient Surveys These are sent out regularly by the Patient Experience Team, and a process is being developed to share the collated results with the Education Team, again to identify potential themes and trends which might be used to inform and update training materials. Coroner Cases As part of our coroner case review process any associated calls are audited. Individual feedback is provided as outlined above. If a case identifies a gap in internal processes these are reviewed, most commonly via consultation with the CCC Senior Management Team and recommendations shared with the service line SOPs Working Group for collective feedback. The Trust endeavours to internally identify any needs through its Datix reporting processes and Safety Review Panel meetings so that measures are already in place before a coroner’s case inquest is held to demonstrate to the coroner that internal case review has identified learning and mitigation actions have already been taken. This hopefully avoids receiving a Prevention of Future Deaths Order (PFD – Regulation 28 report). Approved amendments to existing processes usually take the form of an interim EOC/111 SOP Change Notice which is then adopted into the next full version release of local SOPs. All such Notices are issued via email to relevant CCC skillset groups with an MS Forms acknowledgment link embedded in the email. Colleagues click on the link to acknowledge they have read the material; the links are shared with CCC Operational Management to monitor their teams’ compliance. Any shared learning identified from such cases is disseminated throughout the CCC in a similar way, via email with embedded MS Forms acknowledgement link. A brief consolidation question set can be added to the acknowledgment link to demonstrate understanding of the material content. Again, links are shared with CCC Operations to monitor their teams’ compliance. Once issued to CCC staff, all shared learning materials are uploaded to a the SCAS HUB SharePoint page for the EOC Education and Development Team where they can be freely accessed at any time by all Trust colleagues, and the link to that page is provided as a reminder within any subsequent new issue. CCC Shared Learning July 2024 NHS Pathways System Issues During the day-to-day use of the NHS Pathways telephone triage tool colleagues regularly highlight potential issues with the system, for example inconsistencies with how two related Pathways deal with the same symptoms. We also receive regular feedback from external partners and HCPs raising concerns about the Pathways system. Case details are first internally reviewed to ensure the issue is not a result of ‘operator error’ or a wider health system issue. Details of concerns are logged with NHS England for review by the national NHS Pathways clinical authoring and training teams. We raise requests for information, requests for change, and share cases of potential interest. All Patient Safety cases where there is a potential contention about how the Pathways system was used are anonymously shared with NHS England in this way. NHS Pathways System Updates New Pathways software releases are issued approximately every 8 weeks; if NHS England uphold a logged issued and make system changes these are added to a forthcoming release and details of those changes are shared with colleagues along with the pre-release notes for the version training update materials (which are issued via email with embedded MS Forms acknowledgement link and knowledge review document). These must be completed prior to any new release go-live date. . 111 End to End Review Meetings These meetings are held monthly and are used to review a case from point of call to 111 throughout the complete patient journey, with input from GP, OOH, ambulance, and ED/Ward. The aim of this end-to-end process is to identify any areas of learning from the cases under review, and to implement process/system changes if required. Any issues involving the NHS Pathways system are reviewed and referred to NHS England as above. Examples of CCC Shared Learning • an End to End Review meeting highlighted a case of a 30-year-old female 8-weeks post- delivery complaining of sore breasts and feeling very unwell. The case was triaged to a 6- hour GP timeframe, but the GP felt this was too long as they were concerned about potential sepsis markers. There was one question within the assessment algorithm used (Breast Problems) that asked about breast feeding, but because the patient was expressing her breast milk and not actively feeding from her breast, the Health Advisor said ‘no’ to this question. If they had said ‘yes’, the resulting disposition would have been to speak with a GP within 1 hour. This case was shared with NHS Pathways with a request that they review their supporting information for this breast-feeding question to include ‘this also means expressing breast milk’ and NHS Pathways acknowledged that they would improve the supporting information to make it clearer. CCC Shared Learning July 2024 • A coroner’s case highlighted the unfortunate death of a patient with breathing difficulties where grey lips were declared during the call. The system did not consider the abnormal lip colour. The non-clinical Emergency Call Taker did not understand the potential significance of grey lips with associated breathlessness, and as a result a lower category ambulance response was dispatched. Following this event, a “Take Note!” memo was issued to all CCC call taking staff to highlight the importance of declared abnormal lip colour in the context of breathing difficulties, and this was followed up with a more detailed interactive anonymised case study (CCC SCASCade). The case study author received subsequent emailed confirmation from an in-house clinician who had taken over a call passed by a non-clinical colleague specifically because abnormal lip colour had been declared during their call. Additionally, this the case was shared nationally with NHS Pathways who have acknowledged that this case will form part of their ongoing review of their system. • A coroner issued a PFD highlighting a national concern that 999 services were not aware of appropriate DNACPR exceptions. This linked in with a locally identified audit trend where 999 Emergency Call Takers did not always exclude the DNACPR exemptions listed in current local SOPs before accepting reports of a valid DNACPR form as being appropriate. We also had a recent case where CPR advice was withheld from a patient with a valid DNACPR form who required intervention because of an issue with their mechanical ventilator. A “Take Note!” memo has been issued together with a detailed CCC SCAScade case study to share this learning, which has also identified a potential gap in our existing SOP relating to DNACPR exceptions – recommendations have been submitted to the EOC SOPs Working Group to address this. • A national case review was issued by NHSE relating to the assessment of sub-arachnoid haemorrhage, arising from a tragic case of a young adult male who had multiple contacts with multiple healthcare services with headache symptoms. This national case study was shared with CCC colleagues along with a Factsheet highlighting signs and symptoms. • A coroner’s inquest highlighted a case where an available defibrillator (AED) was not offered to a family calling 999 for a cardiac arrest. The resulting case review identified significant learning around the 999 AED process, including national review and amendment of the NHS Pathways cardiac arrest algorithms. • A coroner’s inquest highlighted concerns over the toxicity risks associated with deliberate overdose of sodium nitrate/nitrite. Details were shared with all CCC Clinicians within a “Toxicity Dirty Dozen” Factsheet, providing guidance and links to the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) Toxbase reference website. CCC Shared Learning July 2024 Wider Trust Communications All CCC staff complete and maintain statutory and mandatory e-learning and attend yearly face-to- face update training. The agenda for F2F training is primarily set by the regular rotation of the UK Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) 11 statutory training elements, e.g., Basic Life Support updates. Added to this are mandatory elements set by the Trust’s subject matter experts, e.g., safeguarding, sexual safety at work, learning difficulties/disabilities. Any extra time in the allowed F2F training provision time (usually 7.5 hours) focuses on Shared Learning topics. There are a variety of communication methods available to share learning across the wider Trust including within the CCC. Examples are: • SOPs / policies / procedures • Clinical and Operational Directives • Clinical and Operational Memos • SCAScades (anonymised case reviews) • E-learning • Face-to-face Education sessions • Statutory and Mandatory training sessions • Hot News emails • Staff Matters newsletters • Podcasts • Twitter / Yammer feeds • Apps • JRCALC (Operations) • Team days (Operations) Not all of these are applicable to CCC staff, however via Hot News, Staff Matters and approved social media feeds CCC colleagues are kept abreast of wider Trust initiatives and new schemes. CCC Shared Learning July 2024
Clinical Partners Princes Risborough Surgery (Main Site) Stratton Road Princes Risborough Bucks HP27 9AX Tel: 01844 344281 Web: unity-health.co.uk Ms J Leach H.M. Assistant Coroner By Email: Dear Madam, Prevention of Future Deaths Report Concerning Oscar Keenan I am one of the GP Partners at Unity Health who operate five GP Practices, including Princes Risborough Surgery. I write to provide the Practice’s response to your Prevention of Future Deaths Report dated 12 June 2025. You have raised concerns regarding new birth registrations at the Practice, the communication between the Practice and the external company we use to assist us in dealing with incoming correspondence and also that instructions to commence treatment could be lost in similar circumstances. At the outset, I would again like to extend my sincere condolences to Oscar’s parents and wider family. As you are aware, nobody from the Practice was asked to attend Oscar’s Inquest and I am therefore grateful to you for providing us with the opportunity to access the recording of the proceedings in order to fully understand the concerns raised. I hope that the response from the Practice set out further below provides yourself and Oscar’s parents with some degree of reassurance that this matter has been taken extremely seriously and that improvements have been made. New Baby Registrations at the Practice As set out in my statement of 12 March 2024, a baby does not and did not need to have been named or formally registered with the Registrar in order to be registered as a patient at the Practice. Unfortunately, it transpired subsequently that Oscar’s parents had been told incorrectly by a member of the reception team that they could not register Oscar at the Practice until they had formally registered his birth for which I sincerely apologise. The Practice conducted a Serious Event Analysis after this issue and Oscar’s sad death came to light. Following this, a new process was put in place for new baby registrations which was circulated to the Practice team on 11 December 2024. Brill Surgery 22 Thame Road Brill Bucks HP18 9SA Chinnor Surgery 5 Station Road Chinnor Oxon OX39 4PX New Chapel Surgery High Street Long Crendon Bucks HP18 9AF Thame Health Centre East Street Thame Oxon OX9 3JZ VAT Reg No 879 1204 06 Tel: 01844 238284 Fax: 01844 238568 Tel: 01844 351230 Fax: 01844 354328 Tel: 01844 208228 Fax: 01844 201906 Tel: 01844 212553 Fax: 01844 260243 Within that email, the staff were reminded that newborn babies do not need to be registered at the Registry Office before being registered at the Practice. When new staff join the reception team, training is provided and the information as to the process for new baby registrations and the fact that the baby does not need to be registered with the Registrar is shared with them. The process for new baby registrations at the Practice now in force is as follows:- 1. All birth notification letters from the hospital are sent to the Practice via an electronic filing system (called Docman). Docman is a cloud-based platform primarily used in healthcare for managing clinical content and co-ordinating workloads related to the transfer of care. It helps healthcare professionals capture, organise, workflow and transfer healthcare documents, both clinical and non-clinical. Docman is used by thousands of GP Practices and hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals to streamline processes, reduce administrative burden and improve patient care. All electronic correspondence from hospitals are sent to the Practice via Docman. The correspondence automatically delivers into a folder within the “filing” section of Docman and is automatically placed in date and time order. The workflow team at the Practice then work through these documents one by one filing them into the relevant patient records. When a member of the workflow team identifies a birth notification/maternity discharge summary, they will register the baby with the Practice immediately. 2. Once the baby has been registered with the Practice, the birth notification will sit at the top of the electronic filing pile on Docman for 24 hours as Docman takes 24 hours to link the new patient into their system. The birth notification will then be filed into the patient records the following day. The patient will however be active on the clinical system (EMIS) as soon as they are registered and so any care required within that 24 hour period would not be delayed. 3. With the new system in place, all babies will be registered with the Practice within 24 to 48 hours of the birth notification letter arriving at the Practice and without any action being required on the part of the parents. Were a parent to seek an appointment for a baby within the very short window of time before the birth notification letter is actioned by the Practice, the baby would be immediately registered and an appropriate appointment made. 4. A new baby welcome letter is then sent to the parents advising them that the baby has been registered with the Practice and asking them to complete a registration form for the baby to complete the process. The baby would however already be formally registered with the Practice and so the need to complete this form would not delay or prevent any care being provided should it be needed in the intervening period. Communication between the GP Practice and the external filtering company Your Prevention of Future Deaths Report has also raised concerns in relation to the communication between the Practice and the external filtering company that we use to assist us with the correspondence received by the Practice in relation to patients. Whilst the Practice in the past dealt with all incoming correspondence “in-house”, we receive between 1,000 and 1,200 items of electronic correspondence via Docman each week (with some hard copy post on top) and this became unmanageable and unsafe for patients. Assistance in managing this is therefore now provided by an external company. Brill Surgery 22 Thame Road Brill Bucks HP18 9SA Chinnor Surgery 5 Station Road Chinnor Oxon OX39 4PX New Chapel Surgery High Street Long Crendon Bucks HP18 9AF Thame Health Centre East Street Thame Oxon OX9 3JZ Practice Manager Tel: 01844 238284 Fax: 01844 238568 Tel: 01844 351230 Fax: 01844 354328 Tel: 01844 208228 Fax: 01844 201906 Tel: 01844 212553 Fax: 01844 260243 VAT Reg No 879 1204 06 Any urgent correspondence received by the Practice will be filtered out and actioned by the workflow team when accessing this via Docman. The workflow team scan read every piece of correspondence and are trained to identify matters requiring urgent attention even if a letter is not obviously marked as “urgent”. Any urgent correspondence therefore will not be sent externally as it will already have been picked up and dealt with by the workflow team based at the Practice. In addition, as set out above, all new birth notification letters will be picked up and actioned by the Practice team with the baby being immediately then registered with the Practice. These letters are therefore no longer sent externally. All other documents are filed onto the patients’ records by the workflow team (and so are immediately available for clinicians to see) and are sent to the external company in a batch every Friday. The external company will then summarise and code all relevant correspondence into patient’s records. Any correspondence that requires action on the part of the Practice will be returned on a daily basis and highlighted to the Practice as requiring action. Under the agreement between the Practice and the external company, they have 5 working days to deal with any correspondence which is passed to them. As indicated above, however, anything requiring urgent action will already have been picked up and dealt with by the workflow team. Anything that is returned as it requires action on the part of the Practice is sent to an inbox within Docman which is cleared by the Practice workflow team on a daily basis. Although the majority of correspondence is received at the Practice electronically, some correspondence is still received by post. Any hard copy correspondence is scanned by the reception team on a daily basis and will be sent externally with the batch of documents that has been received electronically that week. Any urgent correspondence would not usually be sent to the Practice via post and if it is it would be backed up by an email from the sender which would then be picked up and actioned by the workflow team. The work undertaken by the external company is audited on a monthly basis by our Data Quality and Compliance Lead at the Practice and an audit on random letters is also carried out on a daily basis by the same person. Any issues that may have been identified are fed back on a weekly basis with appropriate action then put in place to deal with any concerns. The Practice intends to shortly carry out a review of the process in place concerning how incoming correspondence is dealt with to ensure that matters are being dealt with as efficiently as possible. Concern that instructions to commence treatment could be lost in similar circumstances As indicated above, anything requiring urgent action will be picked up by the workflow team and dealt with internally. It will not therefore be sent externally. Correspondence requiring non-urgent action would be returned to the Practice by the external company who are regularly audited by the Practice to ensure that they are providing an appropriate level of service. In Oscar’s case, the letter from the Trust regarding the prescription of antibiotics was not sent externally. As Oscar had not been registered with the Practice, there was no patient record to attach the letter to on our system. The “pending” folder that this letter was erroneously moved to has now been deleted as the Practice process for new baby registrations has been amended as above and thus there is no need for this folder. If correspondence were to be received for a patient who had never been registered at the Practice before (e.g. likely sent to us in error), this could be rejected electronically on Docman which sends the document back to the sender Brill Surgery 22 Thame Road Brill Bucks HP18 9SA Chinnor Surgery 5 Station Road Chinnor Oxon OX39 4PX New Chapel Surgery High Street Long Crendon Bucks HP18 9AF Thame Health Centre East Street Thame Oxon OX9 3JZ Practice Manager Tel: 01844 238284 Fax: 01844 238568 Tel: 01844 351230 Fax: 01844 354328 Tel: 01844 208228 Fax: 01844 201906 Tel: 01844 212553 Fax: 01844 260243 VAT Reg No 879 1204 06 informing them of the reason (checks having been done by us first to ensure that they really are not registered with us). If the patient has moved surgeries and thus is no longer registered at the Practice, we can either reject that correspondence as mentioned above or if we know where the patient has registered, we can print and send it on by post/email to the new surgery to avoid any delay. Summary To conclude, I hope that you and Oscar’s parents are reassured that this matter has been taken extremely seriously by the Practice and that our processes have been reviewed and improved (and will continue to be reviewed and improved), particularly with regards to the registration of new babies at the Practice. Yours faithfully Brill Surgery 22 Thame Road Brill Bucks HP18 9SA Chinnor Surgery 5 Station Road Chinnor Oxon OX39 4PX New Chapel Surgery High Street Long Crendon Bucks HP18 9AF Thame Health Centre East Street Thame Oxon OX9 3JZ Practice Manager Tel: 01844 238284 Fax: 01844 238568 Tel: 01844 351230 Fax: 01844 354328 Tel: 01844 208228 Fax: 01844 201906 Tel: 01844 212553 Fax: 01844 260243 VAT Reg No 879 1204 06 Brill Surgery 22 Thame Road Brill Bucks HP18 9SA Chinnor Surgery 5 Station Road Chinnor Oxon OX39 4PX New Chapel Surgery High Street Long Crendon Bucks HP18 9AF Thame Health Centre East Street Thame Oxon OX9 3JZ Practice Manager Tel: 01844 238284 Fax: 01844 238568 Tel: 01844 351230 Fax: 01844 354328 Tel: 01844 208228 Fax: 01844 201906 Tel: 01844 212553 Fax: 01844 260243 VAT Reg No 879 1204 06
See every Prevention of Future Deaths report matching Child Death (from 2015), 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.