The Lampard Inquiry, which will begin hearing evidence on 9 September, is investigating over 2,000 mental health deaths of 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 over a three-week period. The first hearings are expected to include opening statements and testimony from those affected by mental health deaths.
The inquiry was launched after bereaved families and campaigners launched a petition, signed by 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.
In 2023, the inquiry was given full legal powers after the former chair Dr. Geraldine Strathdee stated that NHS and locum staff had failed to engage in the process. Only eleven mental health staff out of 14,000 came forward to provide evidence. The chair of the inquiry, Baroness Kate Lampard, expressed hope that she would not have to use her powers to compel witnesses. The inquiry team has received about 100 applications from witnesses willing to give evidence, including staff members.
Recently, a procurement notice by the Department of Health and Social Care requested suppliers to provide “emotional support” to the inquiry until 2027 with a possibility of extending the contract by a year.
