Mental health deaths inquiry chair gives warning over ‘shocking’ true toll of scandal

The first ever statutory public inquiry into the deaths of NHS mental health patients has begun

A statutory public inquiry examining the deaths of almost 2,000 mental health patients in Essex began on Monday (PA)

A public inquiry into mental health services in Essex that led to more than 2,000 deaths may never uncover the shocking scale of failings at the NHS trust, its chair has warned

Opening the inquiry on Monday its chair, Baroness Kate Lampard, who previously chaired a probe into Jimmy Saville, said the probe may never uncover the true scale of deaths caused by failings in Essex.

The Lampard Inquiry will investigate the deaths of people who were receiving mental health inpatient care by Essex mental health services, now run by Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust, between 2000 and 2023.

Baroness Lampard said “we may never have a definitive number of deaths put forward within the inquiry’s remit”.

She said she is “committed to publish” a number but “this number is only ever likely to be approximate and I find it shocking we may never be able to say for sure how many people died in the remit of this inquiry”.

However, she said the figure will be “significantly in excess” of 2,000.

Melanie Leahy, whose 20-year-old son, Matthew, died in November 2012 (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

The inquiry was previously a non-statutory probe and covered 2,000 deaths. However, in June 2023 former health secretary Steve Barclay upgraded the inquiry to give it powers to compell witnesses and organisations to give evidence.

When appointed to chair the statutory inquiry, Baroness Lampard, called for further evidence on deaths covered by the inquiry and widened its remit. It will not only cover patients admitted to NHS essex mental health hospitals but also those who died in the community within three months of discharge and those who recieving NHS funded care in private hospitals.

Baroness Lampard said hearings will be “investigating matters of the gravest concern and significance”.

She said the inquiry will “investigate alleged failings on a scale that’s deeply shocking”.

She extended her “deepest sympathy” to the loved ones of those who have died, and held a minute’s silence as a mark of respect.

“Each death represents a tragedy,” she said, and praised the “courage, resilience and strength the families have demonstrated in some of these most tragic circumstances, including bringing to light some of the issues”.

“Without their dedicated and tireless campaigning it’s unlikely we would be here today,” Baroness Lampard said.

In 2017 Essex Police had launched a corporate manslaughter probe into 25 deaths under the trusts services, however dropped the case in 2018. In 2021 the Health and Safety Executive then fined Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust £1.5m over failures in care that led to the deaths of 11 patients.

Family members of those lost after receiving treatment for mental health services in Essex (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

A number of bereaved parents and families gathered outside the Lampard inquiry venue in Chelmsford on Monday, laying placards on the pavement with photos of loved ones who had died.

Among the banners on display was one saying “We will not be silenced”, another read “We demand truth justice accountability change” and a third stated: “Failed by Essex mental health services”.

Some bereaved parents had indicated that they would protest outside the venue because they had been refused core participant status in the inquiry, a special status which grants participatory rights including being able to suggest lines of questioning via counsel to the inquiry.

The deaths covered by the inquiry include those treated by the former North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT), which merged to form EPUT in April 2017.