(Press-News.org) Contact information: megan beech
m.beech@hud.ac.uk
01-484-473-053
University of Huddersfield
Nationwide disparities of deaths reported to coroners
A LEADING detective turned university researcher has discovered huge nationwide disparities in the numbers of deaths reported to coroners. It could mean that in some areas, inquests into unnaturaldeaths are not being conducted when they might have been deemed necessary elsewhere. Also, it has emerged that deaths of women are less likely to be reported and go to inquest. And when they do, they are less likely to result in a verdict of unnatural death.
Findings from the exhaustive research project have led former Detective Chief Superintendant Max Mclean, the ex-Head of West Yorkshire CID, to brand the 800-year-old coroners' system in England and Wales a "postcode lottery". He calls for a national Coroners' Service with the power to iron out inconsistencies.
Now retired from the force, Mr Mclean is undertaking a PhD at the University of Huddersfield.
Mr Mclean's findings have been published in an article, co-authored with the University of Huddersfield's Dr Jason Roach and Dr Rachel Armitage, that appears in the Journal of Clinic Pathology. The massive exercise in data collection and statistical analysis was designed and conducted by Mr Mclean. "It was significant data crunching!" he said.
By working out how many deaths had taken place in coroners' areas of jurisdiction and how many had been reported to the coroner, Mr Mclean was able to work out the reporting rates for each district.
"We found that between the years 2001 and 2010, the reporting rates in the 114 jurisdictions ranged from 12 per cent to 87 per cent and were consistent over time. My work has demonstrated that this variation is a product of the coroner's working practice," said Mr Mclean.
He argues that because coroners remain in office for long periods and have a large amount of autonomy, their attitudes and working practices are likely to become entrenched and have a powerful influence in their jurisdiction.
He found that there was a mean reporting rate of just under half of all deaths.
"That feels right and the mean figure of 45 per cent has been reasonably consistent for a number of years," he added.
Mr Mclean intends to conduct further research into the gender disparity. In the meantime, he comments: "The extreme hypothesis is that women's deaths are not considered as important to society as those of men. And that the traditional short form verdicts available to the coroner's inquests serve the needs of men more than women – in cases of industrial disease, for example."
INFORMATION:
The article, Local variations in reporting deaths to the coroner in England and Wales: a postcode lottery?, by Maxwell Mclean, Jason Roach and Rachel Armitage has been published in the Online First edition of the Journal of Clinical Pathology.
Nationwide disparities of deaths reported to coroners
2013-11-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Double-pronged attack could treat common children's cancer
2013-11-01
Double-pronged attack could treat common children's cancer
A dual-pronged strategy using two experimental cancer drugs together could successfully treat a childhood cancer by inhibiting tumour growth and blocking off the escape routes it uses to become resistant ...
Sugar intake is not directly related to liver disease
2013-11-01
Sugar intake is not directly related to liver disease
Despite current beliefs, sugar intake is not directly associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological ...
LSUHSC simulation or team training improves performance & patient safety
2013-11-01
LSUHSC simulation or team training improves performance & patient safety
New Orleans, LA – A study conducted by an inter-professional team of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans faculty found that simulation-based operating room team training ...
Neuroscientists determine how treatment for anxiety disorders silences fear neurons
2013-11-01
Neuroscientists determine how treatment for anxiety disorders silences fear neurons
Study in mice may aid in the development of more effective treatments for anxiety disorders
BOSTON (October 31, 2013, 12 noon ET) — Excessive fear can ...
Pitt treats gum disease by bringing needed immune cells to inflamed tissue
2013-11-01
Pitt treats gum disease by bringing needed immune cells to inflamed tissue
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1, 2013 – The red, swollen and painful gums and bone destruction of periodontal disease could be effectively treated by beckoning the ...
GenSeq: Updated nomenclature for genetic sequences to solve taxonomic determination issues
2013-11-01
GenSeq: Updated nomenclature for genetic sequences to solve taxonomic determination issues
An improved and expanded nomenclature for genetic sequences is introduced that corresponds with a ranking of the reliability of the taxonomic identification of the source specimens. ...
Problem of gender differences on physics assessments remains unsolved
2013-11-01
Problem of gender differences on physics assessments remains unsolved
The mystery of why women consistently score lower than men on common assessments of conceptual understanding of physics remains poorly understood
In a new synthesis of past work, researchers found ...
Designing an acoustic diode
2013-11-01
Designing an acoustic diode
Novel design for a device that would transmit sound in 1-way may lead to brighter, clearer ultrasound images and improve diagnosis and therapy
WASHINGTON, D.C. Nov. 1, 2013 -- Most people know about ultrasound through its role ...
Study explains how a job-market system lands couples in the same city
2013-11-01
Study explains how a job-market system lands couples in the same city
Since World War II, women have entered the American workforce in greater numbers than ever before. For married couples, this presents a wrinkle, since it can be hard for both partners ...
NASA satellite catches a wide-eyed Typhoon Krosa
2013-11-01
NASA satellite catches a wide-eyed Typhoon Krosa
Typhoon Krosa became wide-eyed in imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite as the storm moved past the Philippines and into the South China Sea. Krosa re-strengthened after it passed over the northern Philippines and its ...