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Using the Python package
PFD Toolkit is a Python package for working with Prevention of Future Deaths reports programmatically.
This route gives coders direct control over the full analysis pipeline, including data loading, screening logic, LLM setup, extraction behaviour, and downstream outputs.
Use this section to install the Python package, run workflows in your own environment, and integrate PFD analysis into reproducible scripts and projects.
You can use the Python API to load a DataFrame of PFD Reports similar to the below:
| url | date | coroner | area | receiver | investigation | circumstances | concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [...] | 2025-05-01 | A. Hodson | Birmingham and... | NHS England; The Rob... | On 9th December 2024... | At 10.45am on 23rd November... | To The Robert Jones... |
| [...] | 2025-04-30 | J. Andrews | West Sussex, Br... | West Sussex C... | On 2 November 2024 I... | They drove their car into... | The inquest was told t... |
| [...] | 2025-04-30 | A. Mutch | Manchester Sou... | Fluxton Road Medical... | On 1 October 2024 I... | They were prescribed long... | The inquest heard evide... |
| [...] | 2025-04-25 | J. Heath | North Yorkshire... | Townhead Surgery | On 4th June 2024 I... | On 15 March 2024, Richar... | When a referral docume... |
| [...] | 2025-04-25 | M. Hassell | Inner North Lo... | The President Royal... | On 23 August 2024, on... | They were a big baby and... | With the benefit of a m... |
Each row is an individual report, while each column reflects a section of the report. For more detail on these columns, see About the data.
Installation
You can install the Python package with pip:
pip install pfd_toolkit
To update the package, run:
pip install -U pfd_toolkit
Licence
The PFD Toolkit Python package is distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).
Note
- You are welcome to use, modify, and share the Python package code under the terms of the AGPL-3.0.
- If you use the package to provide a networked service, you are required to make the complete source code available to users of that service.
- Some package dependencies may have their own licence terms, which could affect certain types of use (e.g. commercial use).
Contribute
The Python package is designed as a research-enabling tool, and we’re keen to work with the community to make sure it genuinely meets your needs. If you have feedback, ideas, or want to get involved, head to our Feedback & contributions page.
How to cite
If you use the PFD Toolkit Python package in your research, please cite the archived release:
Osian, S., & Pytches, J. (2025). PFD Toolkit: Unlocking Prevention of Future Death Reports for Research (Version 0.4.0) [Software]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15729717
Or, in BibTeX:
@software{osian2025pfdtoolkit,
author = {Sam Osian and Jonathan Pytches},
title = {PFD Toolkit: Unlocking Prevention of Future Death Reports for Research},
year = {2025},
version = {0.4.0},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.15729717},
url = {https://github.com/sam-osian/PFD-toolkit}
}