Fuller Inquiry: Timeline
Key dates in the inquiry's progress, assembled from its recorded milestones and hearing phases.
Hearing-phase dates are taken from the published hearing days; some earlier milestone dates are approximate where the inquiry has not published an exact date.
Milestones & hearing phases
Milestone
Hearing phase
Reports & costs
Still to come
Independent inquiry into the David Fuller case announced
Commons statement by Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, replacing the Trust-commissioned investigation with an independent inquiry. Repeated as a Lords statement the following day, 9 Nov 2021.
Sir Jonathan Michael appointed Chair of the independent inquiry
Same statement as the announcement. Verbatim: "I have appointed Sir Jonathan Michael to chair this inquiry." Sir Jonathan had already been chairing the preceding Trust-commissioned investigation before it was converted into this independent inquiry.
Terms of Reference published
Date confirmed by the 2023 ToR Addendum's own text ("terms of reference that were published by the Inquiry on 23 February 2022") and independently by the Wayback Machine's first-capture timestamp for this PDF. Full ToR text also at https://web.archive.org/web/20220522063937/https://fuller.independent-inquiry.uk/terms-of-reference/
Phase 1 report published (HC 310)
Covers events at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. 17 recommendations (16 for the Trust, 1 for Kent County Council/East Sussex County Council), per Wes Streeting's 15 Oct 2024 statement. Referred to in the Terms of Reference as the "initial report".
Phase 2 interim report published (HC 260, funeral sector module)
gov.uk publication page states "Published: 15 October 2024", matching the same-day Hansard statement HCWS132. The Chair expedited this module ahead of the rest of Phase 2 following reports of neglect at a funeral home in Hull.
Government response to Phase 1 report recommendations (Wes Streeting statement, HCWS132)
Confirms the Trust published an assurance statement on implementation of the Phase 1 recommendations in February 2024; announced the same-day publication of the Phase 2 interim report.
Phase 2 (final) report published (HC 1092)
75 recommendations in total (19 for NHS trusts, 25 for local authorities, 31 for other settings). Same-day Hansard statement by Wes Streeting, HCWS824. Referred to in the Terms of Reference as the "final report".
Final report
Government interim update on progress responding to Phase 2 recommendations
Statement by Dr Zubir Ahmed, HCWS1173: "solid progress" on 54 of 75 recommendations (11 accepted in full, 43 relating to NHS/local authority mortuaries requiring further work, 21 still under consideration). Full government response due "Summer 2026" - not yet located as of this research (25 Aug 2026).