Next stage of inquiry into Essex mental health deaths to focus on 'urgent issues'
Concerns over how Essex mental health patients are watched and cared for have led to a shake-up in the major inquiry
Last updated 24th Apr 2026
The Lampard Inquiry into Essex mental health deaths has announced it will address 'pressing issues' in its July 2026 hearings, aiming to guide potential interim recommendations based on emerging evidence.
Baroness Kate Lampard, who leads the inquiry, has refocused the agenda to concentrate on several critical areas, partly due to issues with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s (EPUT) engagement.
Technology in care, particularly the use of Oxevision, a contactless, video-based patient monitoring system used in mental health units in England, will be scrutinised to evaluate its contribution to learning and recommendations.
The inquiry will also delve into resuscitation practices, responding to multiple concerns that have been raised, with evidence expected to start being reviewed in July.
Further evidence from bereaved families, whose involvement remains central to the inquiry, will be presented.
Additionally, oral submissions from Core Participants related to these focus areas will be featured, alongside examination of EPUT’s cooperation.
Baroness Lampard said, “In July I will be hearing matters of huge importance to the care and treatment of mental health inpatients in Essex and nationally.
Where necessary, subject to what I hear in July, I will not hesitate to make interim recommendations for change.’’
Bereaved families have received an open letter detailing plans for July and the website’s new ‘families’ section.
The July hearing witness list will be published soon, and logistical details have been made available, outlining venue information, registration, and conduct expectations.
The Lampard Inquiry, investigating the deaths of thousands of patients in Essex, continues its work following a conversion to a statutory status last October, allowing legal compulsion for evidence and participation.
In response, Paul Scott, CEO of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, said “As the Inquiry progresses there will be many accounts of people who were much loved and missed over the past 24 years and I want to say how sorry I am for their loss.
“The scale and complexity of identifying information across a 24 year period, and two predecessor organisations, has become increasingly clear and at times it can be challenging to balance this against the demands of running a large Mental Health and Community Trust caring for 100 000 people at any one time.
We remain committed to doing everything we can to support the valuable work of the Inquiry”.