Treasury found to have contributed to death of personal assistant

A coroner has ruled that HM Treasury ‘materially contributed’ to the suicide of Chloe Moffat, a 26-year-old personal assistant. The inquest heard that Moffat took her own life following an informal disciplinary meeting regarding an anonymous allegation that she had shared confidential information about colleagues.

Coroner Anna Crawford found that the meeting did not adhere to Treasury policy or Acas guidelines. Despite being described as informal, the process resulted in Moffat having her responsibilities changed and her manager's diary access removed, which left her convinced she would lose her job. The coroner noted that because her role had already been limited, the matter should have been handled through a formal process to protect her rights, such as the right to have a third party present.

Crawford stated there is a risk of future deaths within the civil service due to the flawed handling of disciplinary proceedings. She intends to issue a prevention of future deaths report to the head of the civil service, the Treasury, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).