A statutory public inquiry examining the deaths of almost 2,000 mental health patients in Essex is to begin on Monday, with a bereaved mother calling it “long overdue” and a “beacon of hope for so many”.
The Lampard Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Kate Lampard CBE, will investigate the deaths of people who were receiving mental health inpatient care in Essex between 2000 and 2023.
This will include people who died within three months of discharge, and those who died as inpatients receiving NHS-funded care in the independent sector.
The Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry was established in 2021 without statutory status.
It was upgraded to a statutory footing last year, which means it has legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.
This came after it emerged that just 11 members of staff out of 14,000 contacted by the inquiry said they would attend an evidence session.
Melanie Leahy, whose 20-year-old son, Matthew, died in November 2012 while a patient at a mental health facility, has long campaigned for a public inquiry, with more than 100,000 signatures collected in support.
Mr Leahy was found hanged at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford in Essex, with a subsequent inquest recording an open narrative conclusion.
Ms Leahy said: “It’s such a long overdue inquiry and it’s become a crucial investigation which really is now a beacon of hope for so many people.”
She said the inquiry gaining statutory footing was a “significant step forward but it’s still not enough”.
“We’re still fighting for a broader scope,” she added.
“We want to ensure that every aspect of the mental health services here in Essex is scrutinised and then ultimately that any learning that comes from that is pushed across the country because we know the mental health system is failing not just here in Essex but everywhere.”
She continued: “Honestly, I and many families, we’re not just looking for answers, we’re fighting for future patients, hoping to prevent more tragedies.
“We want to create a system where no family has to endure what we’ve gone through.
“I want to make sure that the deaths of Matthew and all the others, those deaths, their deaths weren’t in vain.
“The fight really is a testament of my love and commitment to my son.
“The progress of this inquiry, it just remains slow and anxiety continues to grow.
“The longer it takes, the more everyone’s suffering.”
The inquiry, being held in Chelmsford, will start on Monday September 9 with opening statements.
After opening statements the inquiry is expected to move to commemorative evidence from friends and relatives about some of those who died.
It will later move to hearing from former patients about their experiences.
Ms Leahy said: “This isn’t just about the past – it’s about creating a safer future for everyone who might find themselves in need of mental health services.
“We owe it to ourselves and the future generations to get this right.”
Priya Singh, a partner at law firm Hodge Jones & Allen which is representing more than 120 victims and families, described the state of mental health services in Essex as an “ongoing scandal”.
“We, with the families, have fought for more than four years to get this statutory inquiry, so that it has the same powers as the Post Office and Covid Inquiries,” she said.
“This inquiry must get to the bottom of how these people died, to allow the families some closure and understanding of why their loved ones were lost whilst under the state’s care.
“It is only when we know what happened, can change happen.
“Sadly, the situation in Essex is being repeated across the country on a daily basis, which is why this inquiry is of such fundamental importance.
“We will be pushing for interim recommendations to be brought in to prevent more people from dying while the inquiry is ongoing.
“This tragedy needs to stop.”
Marjorie Wallace, founder and chief executive of mental health charity SANE, said: “Over more than 40 years of being involved with inquiries, this is the largest ever investigation into mental health services I have seen in this country.”
She continued: “The families have waited too long.
“They deserve answers to what happened to their sons, daughters, fathers and mothers at the darkest moments in their lives, so that faith in mental health services can be restored.”
