The Lampard Inquiry is set to begin on September 9th and will focus on the mental health deaths of over 2,000 patients in the care of NHS trusts in Essex between 2000 and 2023. The evidence will be heard in public in Essex and live-streamed online for a three-week period. The initial hearings are expected to feature opening statements and testimony from those affected by mental health deaths.
The inquiry will examine deaths under the care of Essex Partnership University NHS Trust, as well as two former trusts it replaced and patients in the care of North East London NHS Foundation Trust in Essex. This investigation comes after a petition launched by bereaved families and campaigners, which was signed by over 100,000 people, calling for mental health deaths in Essex to be debated in Parliament. Six months later, the former NHS North Essex Partnership Trust was fined £1.5m by the Health and Safety Executive investigating the deaths of 11 patients.
Despite six months since launching the petition, only eleven mental health staff out of 14,000 came forward to provide evidence. In response to this low turnout, Baroness Kate Lampard expressed hope that she would not have to use her powers to compel witnesses. However, recent procurement notices suggest that suppliers may be needed to provide “emotional support” to the inquiry until at least 2027 with a possibility of extending the contract by a year.
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