Will the expert attend the inquest in person?

Yes. Our instructed experts attend in person where the coroner requires live evidence; remote attendance can be arranged where the coroner permits.

How quickly can a report be delivered?

Standard turnaround is 1–2 weeks from receipt of the bundle and access to the assessee. Urgent reports can be delivered in 2–5 working days where a Crown Court trial date, tribunal listing or interim hearing requires it. We will tell you on day one whether the deadline is realistic.

How are fees calculated?

We agree a fixed fee for the report and any addendum, joint statement work and CMC/court attendance up front. Fees reflect the complexity, the volume of records and the urgency. We will provide a written quote that supports a Legal Aid prior authority application where required.

Can the expert be instructed as a Single Joint Expert?

Yes. The majority of our consultants accept SJE instructions and are experienced in dealing with joint letters of instruction, Part 35 questions from both sides, and joint reports with experts of like discipline.

Is in-person assessment essential?

Most assessments can be conducted by secure video, which keeps costs and timescales down and avoids travel. In-person assessment is arranged where the case calls for it, for example where capacity, malingering, or a child or learning-disabled assessee is involved, and across all the UK regions we cover.

What happens if the report is challenged at court?

The instructed expert remains responsible for the case end-to-end, including responding to Part 35 questions, attending the joint experts' discussion, signing the joint statement, and giving live evidence. There is no handover to a different expert at trial.

Case type

Inquests

Independent psychiatric evidence is often required at inquests, particularly Article 2 inquests involving suicides in the community or in inpatient units, deaths in custody, and deaths of patients receiving mental health care. Reports address the standard of psychiatric care provided and any causative or contributory failings.

Request an Expert

Use this category when…

You need to map a court order or letter from counsel to the right report
You're confirming whether a psychiatric expert (rather than a psychologist) is the right discipline
You want a fixed quote and a realistic deadline before instructing

What to send with your enquiry

A short summary plus the items below is enough for us to match an expert and confirm the deadline — you don't need the full bundle to get a quote.

Short case summary and the questions you want answered
Hearing or listing date and jurisdiction
GP and psychiatric records (full set where available)
Witness statements, schedules of loss or threshold documents
Any prior expert reports
Court order granting permission to instruct (family / Court of Protection)

Overview

Inquests engaging psychiatric evidence almost always involve a death where psychiatric care was being provided at the time, or where the absence of psychiatric care is in issue. The report addresses the standard of care and any causative or contributory failings.

We instruct consultants who are willing to attend inquest hearings in person and who can present evidence clearly to a jury where one is sitting under s.7 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Legal framework

Reports follow the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 and the Chief Coroner's Guidance, and address Article 2 ECHR considerations where engaged.

Psychiatric issues addressed

Standard of psychiatric care prior to death
Risk assessment and management failings
Suicide in inpatient and community settings
Deaths under the Mental Health Act

Questions you can put to the expert

Drop any of these straight into your letter of instruction.

Did the psychiatric care provided fall below a reasonable standard?
Did any failings cause or materially contribute to the death?

Inquests: areas we cover

Article 2 inquests

Where the inquest is an Article 2 inquest, the report engages explicitly with the systemic and individual failings framework and with the broader Middleton-type questions the coroner may put to the jury.

Community deaths under mental health care

Reports address the standard of care in the period leading up to the death, including the response to crisis presentations, the management of known risk and the adequacy of the care plan.

Deaths in custody

Reports address the psychiatric care provided in custody, the screening and identification of mental disorder on reception, the management of self-harm and suicide risk, and any failure to transfer to hospital under s.47/48.

Inpatient deaths

Reports address risk assessment, observation levels, ward design, the use of leave and the management of known risk factors leading up to the death.

What's in the report

Part 35 / FPR Part 25 / CrimPR statement of compliance, as applicable
Expert's CV and statement of independence
Detailed list of materials considered (records, statements, scans, prior reports)
Full history, mental state examination and collateral information
Diagnostic formulation referenced to ICD-11 / DSM-5-TR
Reasoned opinion on causation, apportionment, prognosis and treatment
Indicative treatment costings where requested
Statement of truth signed in the prescribed form

How we help

Same-day shortlist of suitable consultants once we receive a brief instruction
Choice of male or female assessor, and of sub-specialty, on every instruction
Fixed fees agreed up front; Legal Aid prior authority figures supported
Standard turnaround 1–2 weeks; urgent reports inside 5 working days where the diary allows
Joint reports, addendum reports, Part 35 questions and CMC attendance handled by the same expert
Remote (secure video) or in-person assessment across the UK

Frequently asked questions

Recommended services

Adult psychiatry Neuropsychiatry Psychiatry

Need a psychiatric expert witness?

Tell us about your case and we'll match you to the right consultant, usually within 24 hours.

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