The Inquest and Legal Team is currently based at Sunderland Royal Hospital and is responsible for:

  • Management of the inquest process on behalf of the Trust, ensuring an integrated approach to evidence gathering and disclosure, ensuring appropriate witness preparation and that appropriate effective systems are in place to facilitate the coronial investigation process. They work closely with the Coroner’s Office, the Police, Trust solicitors, external legal teams, external investigatory bodies, senior managers and clinicians etc.
  • Acting as a designated point of contact for all police related enquiries and investigations.
  • Facilitating the provision of appropriate support for staff involved in all levels of investigations.
  • Facilitating the provision of appropriate legal advice to support clinical and managerial decision making
  • Collation and provision of relevant risk information to support trust revalidation and professional body investigation processes
  • Delivery of a range of bespoke training programmes for staff in respect of key areas of risk management such as statement writing, investigations, lessons learned etc

The team currently consists of:

Inquest and Legal Manager
Bev Frankland
b.frankland@nhs.net
Telephone   0191 5410038  - Ext 40038

Inquest and Legal Administrator
Chrissy Parkins Ext 49109
c.parkins@nhs.net
ext 41082

Inquest and Legal Admin Assistant
Sandra Weston
sandra.weston@nhs.net
ext 41082

General enquiries can be directed to inquestandlegal@nhs.net

The service operates Monday to Friday from 08.00 – 16.00 hours, and voicemail services are in operation when staff are not available to receive calls.

The Inquest and Legal Manager carries a mobile telephone which can be accessed via switchboard in emergencies. Out of office hours any requests for urgent legal advice should be directed to the Duty Manager.

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