Richard Smith represented the family at this widely publicised inquest into the death of Lauren Sandell. He was instructed by Anna Brothers of Leigh Day.

Lauren Sandell was a few weeks into her university career when she contracted a deadly strain of meningitis which caused her death. Her age and the higher risk of contracting meningitis among students meant that she should have been given the MenACWY vaccination before going to university. This was in accordance with the guidance published by Public Health England and contractual obligations entered into by her GP practice. Unfortunately Lauren was not notified of the need for this vaccination, and the Practice mistakenly believed that they could not order sufficient stocks to ensure she was vaccinated before departing for university.

The Senior Coroner for Waltham Forest, Ms Nadia Persaud, returned a narrative verdict, stating that if Lauren had received the vaccine her death could have been avoided. She will be giving a Future Deaths Report to the NHS encourage more education amongst schools.

Read more about this case in the press below: