In April 2017 I agreed to work as a Specialist Advisor on the CQC Deaths Review. My focus was how the review could engage with, hear from and reflect the views and experiences of bereaved families. The review came about as a direct result of the Mazars Review into Southern Health, secured as a result of the efforts of Connor Sparrowhawk’s family.

The CQC review was tasked with looking at how NHS hospitals find out how and why someone in their care has died. It was also meant to figure out whether hospitals were learning from what they find, and whether chances to stop people dying were being missed. An important focus within this was how family members and relatives are involved in investigations.

As part of the review I wrote: