Preventable Deaths Tracker
An evidence-based vigilance platform to learn lessons following death investigations
Led by Dr Georgia Richards at King’s College London, the Preventable Deaths Tracker (PDT) is the UK’s first centralised surveillance tool of coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports.
With over 125,000 avoidable deaths each year in England and Wales, the PDT helps identify risks, support learning, and drive accountability. Its interactive dashboard lets users filter reports by date, coroner, region, and addressee, with options to download and save data via the My Account feature.
Yearly average
From January 2014 to December 2024
452
Mean number of coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports published each year for full calendar years.
Year to date
From January 2025 to present
408
The number of coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports published thus far in 2025.
Geography
Reports
From July 2013 to present
5876
Deaths
From July 2013 to present
6139
Published coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports in England and Wales.
Completed
From July 2013 to present
60.1%
Reports with all published responses
Overdue
From July 2013 to present
25.3%
Reports without any published responses
Partial
From July 2013 to present
13.3%
Reports with some, but not all, required responses published
Pending
Due within 56 days of report date
1.3%
Responses due for reports published in last 56 days
Organisations sent reports
From July 2013 to present
2203
Number of individuals or organisations listed as addressees on coroners’ reports
Loss of life cost
From July 2013 to present
£16bn
UK Gov – Average appraisal value estimates per death (£ in 2023 prices)
Responses by addressees
Top 30 from July 2013 to present
Response status by year
From July 2013 to present
Responses by area
Top 30 from July 2013 to present
Responses by coroner
Top 30 from July 2013 to present
About the Preventable Deaths Tracker
Our mission is to save lives by enabling learning from avoidable deaths. We build tools, conduct research, and educate the next generation.
Features of the Preventable Deaths Tracker
Making information accessible and usable to save lives
The features and benefits of using the Preventable Deaths Tracker’s (PDT) tools.
Judiciary website
The Chief Coroner’s Office has manually published the PDF files of coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths (PFDs) reports and their responses on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website since July 2013.
Preventable Deaths Tracker
The PDT automatically collects all published PFDs and their responses from the Judiciary website, creating two tools: a searchable repository of both PFDs and responses and a relational database that enables real-time statistics, analyses and more!
Feature
Judiciary website
Preventable Deaths Tracker
Structured data stored in a relational database
Searchability of all PFDs since 2013
Searchability of all responses to PFDs since 2013
Filter by the date of the reports
Filter by coroner areas
Filter by the name of individual coroners
Filter by who were sent reports
Real-time insight on trends over time
Real-time tracking of responses to PFDs
Real-time statistics on the number of reports vs deaths
Real-time statistics on the number of organisations sent PFDs
Real-time statistics on the economic impact of preventable deaths
Maps and data visualisations
Bespoke dashboards & surveillance tools
Ability to download data outputs
Ability to save outputs and re-run filters
Dynamic and specialised experts who can rapidly provide essential data
Research from the Preventable Deaths Tracker
We conduct bespoke analyses and studies using coroners’ reports to identify trends and learning.
Thromboembolism
Deaths involving thromboembolism reported by coroners, published in Public Health in Practice.
Opioids
Deaths reported by coroners involving strong pain medicines published in the Journal of Public Health.
Sepsis
Deaths reported by coroners from sepsis published in Infection.
Covid-19 pandemic
Deaths reported by coroners during the COVID-19 pandemic until June 2021 published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
Impact of the Preventable Deaths Tracker
We engage with the justice and healthcare systems, media, and policymakers to improve the death investigation system.
Address to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Patient Safety
Dr Richards delivered a talk to the APPG on Patient Safety to share the work of the PDT.
Commissioned article for The Times
Dr Richards was commissioned to write a feature on the work of the Preventable Deaths Tracker.
Findings from the follow-up Inquiry to the Coroner Service
The Justice Committee featured the work of the PDT and our recommendations to Parliament in their letter to the Minister.
Feature in The BMJ
The work of the PDT was published in The BMJ’s feature article on inquests, making the front cover.
Support the Preventable Deaths Tracker
If you or your organisation can provide sustainable funding for the Preventable Deaths Tracker, please do get in contact.