Investigation into Mental Health to Examine 2,000 Fatalities
The deaths occurred while patients were receiving care from the NHS in Essex over a span of 23 years, including suicides that took place in wards and shortly after discharge.
An inquiry investigating the deaths of over 2,000 mental health patients under the NHS’s care in Essex will look into alleged shortcomings on a “shocking scale,” as stated by its chairwoman, Baroness Kate Lampard.
Lampard mentioned that the actual number of deaths caused by the alleged failures in their care may never be known, but is likely to be “significantly more than 2,000.” She expressed her commitment to publishing a figure, although she finds it disconcerting that the exact number may never be definitively determined.
Outside the inquiry venue in Chelmsford, parents and families of the deceased gathered, placing placards with photos of their loved ones. Some of the bereaved parents mentioned that they would protest outside as they were denied core participant status in the inquiry.
Families Demanding ‘Truth, Justice, and Accountability’
The Lampard Inquiry will investigate the deaths of individuals receiving mental health inpatient care in Essex between 2000 and 2023, including those who passed away within three months of discharge and those who died as inpatients in the independent sector funded by the NHS.
The Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry, initially established in 2021 without statutory status, is now operating under statutory footing, granting it legal powers to compel witnesses to provide evidence.
Lampard, during the opening of the inquiry, emphasized that the hearings will focus on issues of grave concern and significance. She offered her deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased and held a minute of silence in their honor.
