Extra staff drafted in to ease coroner crisis
The not-so-expert Brexit advice
POLICE: Additional staff have been taken from front-line investigative duties and assigned to a coroner’s court serving part of West Yorkshire where dozens of cases have been left awaiting initial investigations.
ADDITIONAL POLICE staff have been taken from front-line investigative duties and assigned to a coroner’s court serving part of West Yorkshire where dozens of cases have been left awaiting initial investigations.
There were 68 deaths yet to be allocated to officers at Wakefield Coroner’s Court when this week began, meaning delays for grieving families who want to lay their loved ones to rest.
It comes a year on from a similar crisis that saw unallocated cases across Leeds and Wakefield peak at more than 100.
West Yorkshire Police, which employs the coroner’s officers tasked with investigating deaths, apologised in February 2017 after admitting that “significant” staff shortages coupled with “unprecedented high demand” had impacted its services to the public.
And in August, it emerged extra staff had been recruited in response to a police review which found a host of problems within the Wakefield and Bradford Coroner’s offices.
It highlighted an alarming spike in sickness rates at the Eastern office in Wakefield, as well as a general lack of training and outdated working practices.
The report also noted there had been a number of other reviews in recent years, with “no real evidence of any significant improvements” being delivered.
It was suggested this lack of change had contributed to a reduction in staff morale and the increased sickness rates.
Superintendent Nick Wallen, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET), yesterday said that improvements had been made following the most recent review and staffing levels increased.
But he acknowledged the coroner’s office had been affected once again by a rise in deaths during the winter months.
He said: “I do not underestimate the levels of stress that the backlog of cases causes bereaved families but I would like to reassure members of the public that additional police resources have been reassigned from front-line investigative duties to address this issue.”
The Wakefield Coroner’s Office covers the local authorities of Leeds and Wakefield, including three of the largest hospitals in the North of England.
“Clearly this is a large population and there will always be high numbers of deaths for the staff in the coroner’s office to manage,” Supt Wallen said. “The winter months do typically see a spike in deaths and, as we and colleagues in the NHS have seen, this winter has been no exception. Exceptionally cold weather has also been a factor in an increase in numbers of people dying.”
All deaths reported to the coroner are initially received by coroner’s officers and they are responsible for allocating deaths for initial investigation before reporting back to the coroner.
In addition to coroner’s officers employed by police, Wakefield Council employs administrative staff who support the coroner once those investigations have been completed.
The most recent review, undertaken by police alongside the council and said to be ongoing, focused on resourcing of IT and general working practices.
Supt Wallen said: “Currently, extra staff from the force’s HMET and new coroner’s support officers are assisting coroner’s officers to reduce the backlog of cases.
“Sadly levels of sickness amongst coroner’s officers have also risen during this period, and that has impacted upon resources.” He said a full-time inspector was also deployed earlier this year to help staff manage their “ever-increasing workloads”.
The winter months do typically see a spike in deaths. Superintendent Nick Wallen, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team.
PERHAPS MICHAEL Gove did have a point when he noted, in the aftermath of the 2016 EU referendum, that “people in this country have had enough of experts” – the trading of statistics, and insults, about Brexit, and the wider economy, appears to vindicate the Environment Secretary.
After all, leaked policy papers suggesting that Leave-supporting areas in the North of England are likely to pay the heaviest price of all when Britain leaves the EU is at odds with the Bank of England’s latest assessment of the wider economy.
Though interest rates remain unchanged, it signalled that borrowers should brace themselves for further and faster rate rises after stronger-thanexpected economic growth that is at odds with the pre-referendum forecasts of Bank governor Mark Carney who was central to the Remain campaign’s socalled ‘Project Fear’.
These contradictions, nevertheless, make it even harder for Theresa May – and her Cabinet – to plan an effective negotiating strategy. To her credit, the Tory leader is doing her best to lead in the national interest – she was a Remain supporter who came to power because she accepted the referendum result – and could do with some more loyalty from her colleagues.
Perhaps this is the moment for the Prime Minister to follow her convictions rather than allow her stance to be shaped by experts whose views do appear to change as frequently as the respective policy positions adopted by the Tory and Labour front benches.