The parents of a woman who killed herself after facing disciplinary proceedings at the Treasury will call for anyone found to have contributed to their daughter’s death to be held to account. A coroner found in August that the Treasury had “materially contributed” to Chloe Moffat’s death after the 26-year-old personal assistant was called into a surprise disciplinary meeting about anonymous complaints alleging she had disclosed sensitive information at work, which she denied. The Treasury’s response to the coroner’s prevention of future deaths report, seen by the Guardian, acknowledges the department’s role in her death and commits to safeguards so this does not happen again.
A review of the civil service by the Cabinet Office found that the conditions Moffat was subjected to had been replicated in other disciplinary meetings. The coroner didn’t ask for that, but obviously that is very important. Chloe was held to account; we need to know that the managers and HR staff are being held to account.” Moffat’s managers declined to allow her to bring a colleague to the meeting, did not give her any advance notice of it, and refused to tell her whether she was likely to lose her job.
They also removed access to her director’s email and changed her work responsibilities. This was despite the meeting being described as “informal”. Moffat left the meeting “devastated” and convinced she would lose her job, the coroner found, and the next morning she took her own life.
She had worked at the Treasury as a personal assistant for almost three years, “loved her job” and had an “exemplary employment record”, the coroner heard. During the inquest, Moffat’s line manager was asked if she would have done anything differently and told the court: “No, I think we did all we could at the time with the information and advice we were given.” Moffat’s parents have spent the year since she died fighting to get answers from the Treasury, which initially did not take any responsibility. So we are looking at Chloe’s legacy, to ensure that there is learning across all organisations in HR departments.” They say they have not had the chance to grieve properly yet and are thinking about holding a second celebration of life for Chloe.
David said: “The funeral was in some ways uplifting as so many people chose to join us, but we didn’t really know what we knew now. We want to revisit it and have a more joyful time and celebrate Chloe as the person she was.” The prevention of future deaths report issued by the coroner found there was still a risk at the civil service due to its disciplinary procedures. The civil service has put in place multiple safeguards to address these issues.
Documents seen by the Guardian read: “HM Treasury has accepted the findings in the report in full. In direct response to the inquest findings, HM Treasury immediately stopped using informal fact-finding meetings for allegations of potential serious or gross misconduct, introduced strengthened procedural and wellbeing safeguards, and issued urgent interim guidance.” This guidance includes allowing staff to have a supporter in disciplinary meetings, giving proper notice of any such meeting, and informing staff if a dismissal is not likely. The Treasury is also hiring an on-site occupational therapist to support staff wellbeing.
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