Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon

Coroner Area
Reports: 119 Earliest: Sep 2013 Latest: 9 Mar 2026

72% response rate (above 62% average).

Clear 72 results
Richard Haddock
All Responded
2025-0627 16 Dec 2025
Devon & Cornwall Police
Suicide (from 2015)
Concerns summary Police processes failed to notify the Firearms Licensing Department of a prosecution, and the department did not check PNC records, leading to a shotgun being returned to a prohibited individual.
Action taken summary Devon & Cornwall Police's Firearms and Explosives Licensing Unit (FELU) now undertakes PNC checks as part of initial suitability reviews and immediately prior to returning firearms. Additional checks
Lee Eustace
All Responded
2025-0626 15 Dec 2025
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary An insufficient feeding protocol likely contributed to death, compounded by failures to raise a Datix, send a Duty of Candour letter, and disclose critical information to the Coroner.
Action taken summary The Trust has implemented a new jejunostomy feeding protocol and, following a review, sent a Duty of Candour letter to the family. They have also improved their learning from deaths …
Daisy McCoy
All Responded
2025-0409 5 Aug 2025
Musgrove Park Hospital
Child Death (from 2015) Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary Critical delays in performing a Caesarean section were caused by significant communication failures among staff, inadequate training on recognising abnormal foetal movements, and poor escalation protocols, compounded by consultant oversight.
Action taken summary The Trust has implemented a Labour Ward Co-Ordinator Framework, twice-daily consultant-led ward rounds, and centralised CTG monitoring. It has also established cross-site PROMPT and foetal monitoring
Greta Lewis
All Responded
2025-0304 17 Jun 2025
NHS England
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary There is a critical gap in the availability of the time-sensitive thrombectomy procedure for severe stroke patients across the South West region.
Action taken summary NHS England is working with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust to establish a 24/7 thrombectomy service, aiming for it to be functional from 1 November 2025. This will be supported …
Brian Garrick
All Responded
2025-0271 30 May 2025
Department of Health and Social Care
Emergency services related deaths (2019 onwards)
Concerns summary Ambulance response times are severely delayed due to prolonged patient handovers at acute hospitals, preventing crews from returning to service.
Action taken summary The DHSC stated that NHS England is working with systems to reduce ambulance handover delays, aiming for hospital handovers within 15 minutes and none longer than 45 minutes, supported by …
Mary Pomeroy
All Responded
2025-0166 1 Apr 2025
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary A hospital's investigation wrongly deemed a fatal patient-on-patient assault unforeseeable, despite ignoring prior violent incidents and failing to implement required enhanced observations for a high-risk patient.
Action taken summary The Trust transitioned to the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) in June 2024, replacing the previous Serious Incident Framework. This new framework fundamentally shifts the approach t
Andrew Tizard-Varcoe
All Responded
2025-0321 31 Mar 2025
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (Musgrove… Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS F…
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary Fragmented care across multiple health trusts resulted in clinicians lacking complete patient information and unclear responsibilities, compounded by untimely follow-up appointments and inappropriate discharge decisions for a progressing infection.
Action taken summary The Trust has launched a new virtual ward for patients with complex needs to improve care coordination. They also monitor the ENT waiting list daily with weekly Patient Tracking List …
Benjamin Compton
All Responded
2025-0285 19 Mar 2025
Devon Integrated Care Board Primary Care NHS Devon NHS England +1 more
Road (Highways Safety) related deaths
Concerns summary A significant gap in care exists for autistic individuals in crisis without a treatable mental health condition, and the Special Allocation Scheme failed to address an autistic patient's specific needs.
Action taken summary NHS England has published 'Meeting the Needs of Autistic Adults in Mental Health Services' (Dec 2023) and the 'Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting Autistic People' (March 2024) to improve care
William Northcott
All Responded
2025-0069 27 Jan 2025
Pembroke Medical Practice Medicines and Healthcare Projects Devon ICB +1 more
Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary Disparities in Clozapine monitoring between specialist clinics and GP practices lead to inadequate patient education on side effects, while guidance also underemphasizes cardiomyopathy risks for this cardiotoxic drug.
Action taken summary NHS Devon will provide additional funding to Devon Partnership NHS Trust in the 2025/26 financial year to implement more Clozapine clinics. They will also ensure that any changes to national …
Jean Langan
All Responded
2025-0068 13 Dec 2024
Department for Transport Department of Health and Social Care
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary The absence of a real-time database for hospital helicopter landing sites and a lack of readily available manager contact details present significant risks to safe helicopter operations.
Action taken summary The Department for Transport is considering legislating to ensure safety at Hospital Helicopter Landing Sites (HHLSs) and has already begun work to develop options for a database of HHLSs. They …
Oliver Billings
All Responded
2024-0656 28 Nov 2024
Pharmacy2U Limited Clare House Surgery Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths Mental Health related deaths Suicide (from 2015)
Concerns summary A pharmacy issued a subsequent prescription without confirming the cancellation of a previous one, and rapid dispatch prevented error detection. The patient was inappropriately burdened with resolving the pharmacy's error.
Action taken summary Amicus Health has communicated the critical importance of careful prescription checking to all prescribers, implemented flagging for high-risk patients to ensure closer monitoring and shorter prescrip
Raymond Reid
All Responded
2025-0135 28 Nov 2024
Royal Devon University Healthcare Found…
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary Hospital care failures led to sepsis from pressure sores, a UTI, and pneumonia. Concerns include inadequate skin checks, risk assessments, malnutrition screening, patient repositioning, and lack of follow-up or photographic documentation for wound care.
Action taken summary Royal Devon Healthcare NHS states that pressure damage prevention is a top priority in its Trust-wide Improvement Plan, supported by an existing, regularly updated Tissue Viability Strategy. The Chief
Jay Whiting
All Responded
2024-0654 26 Nov 2024
Plymouth City Council
Road (Highways Safety) related deaths
Concerns summary Mature trees lining Embankment Road are dangerously close to the carriageway, directly contributing to multiple fatal collisions when vehicles leave the road. Their placement also obstructs pedestrian safety.
Action taken summary Plymouth City Council plans to extend the 30mph speed limit on both sides of Embankment Road by April 2025, following a statutory process. They also plan to remove a number …
Alfie Tollett
All Responded
2024-0471 27 Aug 2024
Jaguar Land Rover
Child Death (from 2015)
Concerns summary The car's gear selection design, lacking an intermediary step beyond a button press, contributed to driver error, raising concerns about vehicle safety features.
Action taken summary Jaguar Land Rover disputes the need for changes to its vehicle design, stating that the current gear transmission control unit and alert strategy meet all legal safety requirements. Their review …
Samuel Jordan
All Responded
2024-0056 2 Feb 2024
NHS England
Suicide (from 2015)
Concerns summary Prison healthcare's inability to access temporary GP mental health records via the NHS spine meant critical information regarding a prisoner's anxiety and medication was missing, contributing to their death.
Nicholas Dymond
All Responded
2023-0545 21 Dec 2023
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Railway related deaths
Concerns summary Independent mental health assessors lack mandated access to full patient records, while staff misunderstand voluntary admission and the "least restrictive option," potentially hindering appropriate care.
Katie Williams
All Responded
2023-0512 24 Nov 2023
Intensive Care Medicine
Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths Suicide (from 2015)
Concerns summary The unexpected interaction of a specific medication with common overdose complications re-precipitated serotonin syndrome, highlighting a risk that other NHS organisations may not fully appreciate these medication interaction risks.
Stewart Stanley
All Responded
2023-0341 19 Sep 2023
Exeter Prison
State Custody related deaths Suicide (from 2015)
Concerns summary Inconsistent and inaccurately recorded observations for suicide prevention, coupled with staff misinterpretation of guidelines and excessive working hours, posed significant risks in state custody.
Geoffrey Brooks
All Responded
2023-0351 15 Sep 2023
Royal Devon University Healthcare Found…
Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Concerns summary An ambiguous hospital discharge summary on fluid intake targets caused nursing home staff to misinterpret instructions, leading to the patient's critical dehydration and contributing to his death.
Maxine Davison, Lee Martyn, Sophie Martyn, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd
All Responded
2023-0085Deceased 8 Feb 2023
Home Office College of Policing National Police Chiefs’ Council
Child Death (from 2015) Other related deaths
Concerns summary Concerns were raised regarding the risks associated with the legal availability, lethality, ease of use, and rapid fire capabilities of certain items, and their role in crime.
Frances Ollis
All Responded
2022-0276 6 Sep 2022
Devon NHS Integrated Care Commission
Other related deaths
Concerns summary There was a missed opportunity to provide timely care and treatment to the deceased before she was found in extremis.
Archi Johnson
All Responded
2022-0231 26 Jul 2022
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Mental Health related deaths Suicide (from 2015)
Concerns summary Crucial information, especially about previous suicide attempts, was not consistently recorded or shared across different risk assessments. This prevented staff from knowing significant risks, potentially impacting care decisions and safety measures.
Harry Simmons
All Responded
2022-0028 3 Feb 2022
Plymouth City Council
Road (Highways Safety) related deaths
Concerns summary A dangerous road junction is prone to collisions due to drivers cutting corners, sun glare impairing visibility, and a lack of effective signage or road design to mitigate risks.
Carl Walters
All Responded
2021-0256 28 Jul 2021
HMP Exeter
State Custody related deaths
Concerns summary The failure to preserve key evidence hindered the inquest, raising concerns that dangerous conditions could go undiscovered and preventative measures overlooked.
Glenn Macmartin
All Responded
2021-0142 7 May 2021
Care Quality Commission Devon Partnership Trust and Plymouth Sa…
Care Home Health related deaths Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths Mental Health related deaths
Concerns summary No specific concerns were detailed in the provided text.