Inquiry to be held into deaths of three people who used same health board

A fatal accident inquiry is to be held into the deaths of three patients who were all involved with services provided by the same health board.

The Crown Office said the deaths occurred in circumstances giving rise to “significant public concern” and has announced a discretionary conjoined inquiry into the deaths of Stephen Britt, Andrew Judge and Colleen Higgins.

Mr Britt, 40, was found dead at his home in Govanhill, Glasgow on November 28 2018.

Mr Judge, 37, died in hospital on December 4 that year following an incident at Glasgow Central Station while Ms Higgins, 22, died in hospital on February 9 2019 following an incident at her home in Balloch in West Dunbartonshire.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said all three had been involved with services provided by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board before their deaths.

It has lodged a First Notice with Glasgow Sheriff Court to begin the court process for a conjoined fatal accident inquiry (FAI).

Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the deaths of Stephen Britt, Andrew Judge and Colleen Higgins occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a joint discretionary fatal accident inquiry should be held.

“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.

“The families will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress.”

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.

The inquiry will explore the circumstances of all three deaths, with an anticipated focus on the care and treatment the three people received.

The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death, the circumstances in which the deaths occurred, and establishing what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.

A preliminary hearing will be held on October 4 at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Conjoined inquiries are administratively separate but are held together because of similarities in the facts and circumstances.