Coroner Anna Crawford found the Treasury materially contributed to the death of Chloe Moffat after an informal disciplinary meeting on 19 May last year. Moffat, a 26-year-old Treasury personal assistant, killed herself the morning after the meeting.
Anna Crawford said she will send a prevention of future deaths report to the head of the civil service, the Treasury, and Acas. She also found there is a risk of future deaths within the civil service from the way disciplinary proceedings are handled.
Chloe Moffat and the meeting
Moffat had worked at the Treasury for almost three years and was described as having an exemplary employment record. Crawford found there were no previous concerns about her mental health, and that she appeared well and happy before the meeting.
The case began after an anonymous complaint at work. It alleged that Moffat had informally shared information about colleagues that she had been privy to during her job, and she denied the allegation.
Treasury HR policy
The Treasury’s HR policy required serious misconduct allegations to be dealt with formally. It also set out safeguards that included a third party being present, five days’ notice, and information about the likely outcome if allegations were found to be true.
Crawford found the meeting was handled informally even though decisions had already been made to limit Moffat’s role and responsibilities. She said the matter should therefore have gone through a formal process, and that Moffat was denied safeguards.
The coroner found that Moffat was not reassured her job was safe, even though she was unlikely to be dismissed. Crawford said, “I am satisfied that the shock and distress of the allegations and thinking she was going to lose her job contributed to her state of mind.” She also found that the concern she would lose her job materially contributed to that state of mind.
Report to Acas
The head of global issues at the Treasury told the court she did not give Moffat prior notice of the meeting because she did not want Chloe to worry about it. She also said that when Moffat asked in tears whether she would lose her job, she replied that she could not predict the outcome of any potential investigation.
Moffat’s line manager said, “No, I think we did all we could at the time with the information and advice we were given.” Crawford concluded that the meeting was not in accordance with Treasury policy and that a report is needed to address the risk she identified.
For Treasury staff and others in civil service roles, the finding puts a formal process at the center of any serious misconduct case. The coroner’s report to the head of the civil service, the Treasury, and Acas is the step that follows, and it is the point at which any changes to handling, notice, or accompaniment would have to be considered.
