Mind responds to Lampard Inquiry
Today marks the start of the Lampard Inquiry, the first of its kind public inquiry investigating the deaths of up to 2,000 people under the care of mental health services in Essex. Chaired by crossbench peer Baroness Kate Lampard, who previously oversaw NHS investigations into abuse by Jimmy Savile, the inquiry is set to make recommendations on how to improve mental health hospitals nationally.
The inquiry was upgraded to have statutory powers last summer, after only 11 staff out of a potential 14,000 agreed to attend evidence sessions - making it unable to meet its own terms of reference. Witnesses can now be legally compelled to come forward and give evidence. Families who lost loved ones receiving care at Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust (EPUT) and the North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), have been campaigning for years to understand what happened and get answers.
Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind, said:
“This landmark inquiry is the result of years of tireless campaigning by people who lost their loved ones in the most tragic circumstances. Too many families have been let down time and time again, and Mind thanks them for their bravery in fighting for justice in the wake of such devastating loss. The sheer scale of as many as 2,000 people being potentially affected is a damning indictment on the current state of mental health hospitals, which are supposed to care for people at their most unwell. This is the appalling human cost of deprioritising mental health.
“These tragic failings will feel all too familiar to many people not only in Essex but across the nation. For several years now, we have seen a consistent churn of whistleblowing reports and undercover investigations bring to light the widespread neglect and abuse in many mental health settings around the country. Mental health hospitals are broken. Buildings are crumbling. Wards are often bare, cold, and run-down. Until the fully blown crisis in mental health inpatient care is taken seriously, more people will lose their lives and experience trauma in the very places that are meant to look after them.
"Now is the time to listen to people’s experiences and learn from mistakes. As the inquiry unfolds, we urge the UK government to honour the lives of those lost by committing to historic change. NHS England has coproduced an ambitious vision for better, truly therapeutic inpatient mental health care. Now we need the government to show the will and means to make this vision a reality, as well as tackling chronic underfunding, staffing and cultural issues once and for all.”
