Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish his Department's responses to the publication of the three Regulation 28 (Prevention of Future Death) Reports on asthma deaths since 2015.

Publication of the responses to Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports is a matter for the Chief Coroner as set out in the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.

The Department takes seriously concerns raised by coroners. Where coroner reports are issued to the Department for response, officials liaise with the relevant bodies to ensure concerns are carefully considered and lessons are identified, so that appropriate action can be taken.

The Department responded to one PFD report concerning asthma services on 24 April 2019. This was in response to the Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the Assistant Coroner for the Eastern Area of Greater London following the inquest into the death of Sophie Holman.

The Government is committed to doing all it can to ensure the National Health Service learns from tragic, avoidable deaths and provides high quality, safe care for all patients. This is demonstrated by publication of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy on 2 July 2019. The strategy provides a framework for patient safety improvement over the next ten years and sits alongside the NHS Long Term Plan.