Lance Baynham

Inquests

Lance has acted in a number of inquests, on behalf of families, state bodies, and NHS Trusts. These have included multi-day, jury, and Article 2 inquests. Lance spent four months seconded to the advisory team of a leading healthcare law firm, where he attended court several times per week for inquest and pre-inquest review hearings.

Listen to Lance giving an update on coronial law with Jim Duffy and Richard Mumford in episode 202 of our podcast Law Pod UK.

Selected Cases

• Inquest into the death of GJ: Lance represented the family in a week-long article 2 inquest which found that the deceased, a patient in an acute psychiatric ward, was permitted by nursing and medical staff to leave when they should not have been. The Coroner identified several causative and possibly causative failures which contributed to the self-inflicted death, and issued a PFD report.
• Inquest into the death of PB: Lance represented the family in a two-week, article 2, jury inquest arising from a death on a railway. Instructing solicitors contacted Chambers to say that they were “blown away by [Lance’s] performance”.
• Inquest into the death of DD: Lance acted for the family of a patient who died from complications arising from a delay in the diagnosis and thereafter the prompt and effective treatment of a colonic perforation. The Coroner found that the perforation was visible but not radiologically reported to clinicians following a CT scan.
• Inquest into the death of LS: a complex multi-day inquest into the death of a patient with lymphoma who required blood and platelet transfusions, in which Lance acted for the Trust.
• Inquest into the death of CD: Lance represented a GP whose patient committed suicide following a history of self-harm, but who had not been able to access any treatment.