Inquiry into mental health deaths calls on nurses to come forward
An inquiry into the deaths of thousands of mental health inpatients has called for ‘core participants’, including mental health nurses, to make themselves known.
The Lampard inquiry is investigating the circumstances of around 2,000 mental health inpatient deaths in NHS and NHS-funded independent care in Essex between January 2000 and December 2023.
“I am honoured to be chairing the Inquiry and I am committed to carrying out thorough investigations which are appropriately focused and proportionate”
Kate Lampard
Headed by Baroness Kate Lampard, the inquiry will look into how patients died, as well as communications with family members, alleged “serious failings” in care, the culture and management of NHS trusts in Essex and the quality of previous investigations int other deaths.
Today, Baroness Lampard announced that applications for core participants had opened. In a statutory inquiry like this, a core participant is defined as someone with a key role in the process with a right to receive otherwise classified evidence, to make statements in inquiry proceedings and to suggest lines of questioning of witnesses.
Baroness Lampard said she was asking in particular for Essex-based family members of inpatients who died to come forward, plus organisations providing inpatient services, and current and former mental health staff, including nurses.
Speaking as she opened applications for core participants, Baroness Lampard said she looked forward to making progress with what she called an “important inquiry”.
The opening of these applications comes after the terms of reference for the inquiry were finalised. These, agreed by health and social care secretary Victoria Atkins, include an agreement that the inquiry’s scope be extended from the original 20 years to 23 years, with a date range of 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2023.
The terms of reference were also amended to include those who died while receiving NHS-funded care in the independent sector – not just within directly NHS-run facilities – and to include those who died within three months of discharge.
Baroness Lampard added: “I am honoured to be chairing the inquiry and I am committed to carrying out thorough investigations which are appropriately focused and proportionate.
“This is key given the urgency of the matters I am looking into. Now that the inquiry’s terms of reference have been agreed and published, I am able to proceed with the substantive work of the inquiry.
“One of the first steps I am taking is to open the application process for core participant status,” she said.
More information, including how to apply for core participant status, can be found on the website for the inquiry. Applications are open from today until 20 May.
The current inquiry represents a beefed up version of previous efforts to investigate events that had struggled with engagement.
The Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry was relaunched in November last year as the Lampard Inquiry with new statutory status.
The inquiry was first called in 2021 to investigate the circumstances surrounding inpatient deaths between January 2000 and December 2020.
However, the inquiry was upgraded in status partly in response to difficulties faced by the previous chair to get staff and former staff to volunteer to share their experiences.
