Latest news with #NicholasGriffin
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Lampard mental health inquiry hears of 'lack of humanity'
The counsel to an inquiry looking into deaths in mental health inpatient units said evidence from bereaved relatives reflected "a lack of empathy and humanity" in mental Lampard Inquiry is the first to investigate the deaths of more than 2000 people on mental health wards between 2000 and the end of a statement that closed the latest round of hearings, Nicholas Griffin KC described how one patient, Geoff Toms, 88, was placed in nappies, even though he could use the toilet, and how some hospitals felt more like of the main trusts responsible for mental healthcare, the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has apologised to those failed. Mr Griffin paid tribute to relatives who had shared their personal experiences saying they had acted with "confidence, courage and expressions of love".Lynda Costerd, the daughter of Geoff Toms, was one of those giving evidence. She described her father's experience on Beech Ward at Rochford Hospital, an older person's mental health died in May 2015 and she says he was on the ward for less than 6 days, when he suffered injuries. "He was basically put in a chair, and they would take his walker away from him, so that he couldn't get up and move, so much so, they put him in nappies... even though he wasn't incontinent," she Costerd believed he was becoming malnourished, and said he was so thin that "you could see his pacemaker".She explained how Mr Toms had broken his nose during falls on the ward. She also said he had two black eyes and bruising to his face and looked like "he had been mugged".Ms Costerd said her mother told medical staff Mr Toms needed to see a she said they replied: "It doesn't work like that. You can't just say you want a doctor." 'Dire circumstances' The inquiry also heard how Pippa Whiteward, the mother of a baby, was restrained and handcuffed to a bed by police when - while in crisis - she attended the accident and emergency department at Broomfield Hospital in sister Lydia Fraser-Ward described how Ms Whiteward's husband had called it an "NHS version of a prison cell".She said her sister had been transported to Staffordshire as it was the only mother and baby unit bed available in the whole told the inquiry: "If there are really that few beds in this country for mothers with young babies who are having a mental health crisis that they have to ferry them around in ambulances, hundreds and hundreds of miles, just to give them a bed, then we are in really dire circumstances, aren't we?"Ms Whiteward, aged 36, took her life in October 2016 after being discharged. Another relative who gave evidence was Emma Cracknell, who spoke about her mother Susan Spring, who patrolled the streets of London as a Met police described how Ms Spring had not suffered from mental health problems in the past and how, when she tried to take her life, she was not assessed by a psychiatrist or sectioned to a mental health inpatient bed. After giving evidence, Ms Cracknell told the BBC: "I know she would have wanted to have her voice heard. I know the care she was given was not adequate."When you lean on a service like the crisis team, you just pin all your hopes on the fact they know what they're doing," she she added they knew they were not alone, and she hoped the inquiry could "bring around change". Mr Griffin said inquiry chair Baroness Lampard's team remained "disappointed" with the number of staff volunteering evidence, adding they were "few in number".It could be 2026 before staff are called to testify. In October relatives will continue to give their Griffin said mental health did not receive the attention it merited, given one in four adults and one in 10 children experience mental illness. "Chair, I know it is your hope that the Lampard Inquiry contributes to a wider conversation, that the public will engage in this, and that the media will reflect these experiences," he chief executive Paul Scott has apologised for deaths under his trust's said: "As the inquiry progresses, there will be many accounts of people who were much loved and missed over the past 24 years and I want to say how sorry I am for their loss."Baroness Lampard is expected to produce a final report in 2027. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Essex mental health inquiry chairwoman 'dissatisfied' with trust
The chairwoman of the public inquiry into more than 2,000 mental health deaths in Essex said she was "extremely dissatisfied" with a health trust's late submission of Lampard was due to hear evidence on Wednesday about a monitoring and alert system, called Oxevision, on wards and units operated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT).But the Lampard Inquiry was told EPUT submitted a witness statement at the end of last week showing it had made "very substantial changes" to its use of Oxevision, leaving legal teams less than three working days to review EPUT spokesperson said it apologised to Baroness Lampard for not sharing details sooner. 'Highly unsatisfactory' Oxevision is designed to help staff monitor the safety of patients in their bedrooms and bathrooms by using infrared sensors, and to reduce the number of self-harming Griffin KC, lead counsel to the inquiry in London, described how they were due to hear evidence on Wednesday relating to Oxevision from three witnesses, including Zephan Trent, executive director of strategy, transformation and digital and senior information risk officer at inquiry was told on Tuesday that Mr Trent had made a "brief reference" in a witness statement in March that a review was being undertaken of EPUT's use of Oxevision, and that the inquiry would be updated about the review's outcome, but "no further information was given".The inquiry was then informed on Wednesday last week "after working hours" that EPUT would be serving an additional witness statement, which was not received until mid-morning on Griffin described it as an "unacceptably short" timeframe, giving legal teams for the inquiry and core participants just days to review and consider additional statement revealed "very substantial changes" to the use of Oxevision technology, Mr Griffin said, "which were only authorised at board level last Wednesday"."The situation is, to say the least, highly unsatisfactory," Mr Griffin told the inquiry, explaining that due to the "extremely late disclosure" from EPUT, the planned evidence sessions on Wednesday would be postponed to a future date. After Mr Griffin's statement, Baroness Lampard said "the use of Oxevision is, and will remain, a matter of significant interest for the inquiry"."My decision to postpone evidence into this area should not be viewed in any way as enabling EPUT to avoid answering questions about its use of Oxevision or to evade responsibility - quite the reverse," she said."I wish to make it clear that I am extremely dissatisfied with EPUT's late submission of evidence."I have said previously, and I repeat, that I will not hesitate to use my statutory powers to compel evidence should this be required."The inquiry - which is looking into the deaths of more than 2,000 people under mental health services in Essex between 2000 and 2023 - announced on Tuesday afternoon that it will hold a private evidence session on Wednesday with Hat Porter, a representative of Stop Oxevision, which would be made public in due course. Apology A spokesperson for EPUT confirmed to the BBC that its new standard operating procedure regarding the use of Oxevision came into effect on 7 May."We have to react to changing guidance around many areas of the delivery of care and have been reviewing our operating procedure for the use of Oxevision remote monitoring technology following new NHS guidance which was released in February 2025," the spokesperson said."The review has been completed and the new standard operating procedure is now in place."We apologise to Baroness Lampard and anyone impacted that we didn't share details of changes sooner." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lampard Inquiry told of 'ongoing serious issues'
A public inquiry looking at deaths in mental health inpatient units over a four-year period, has highlighted continuing failures. The first key evidence sessions in the Lampard Inquiry - examining more than 2,000 deaths at NHS inpatient units in Essex between 2000 and 2023 - have begun in London. Counsel to the inquiry, Nicholas Griffin KC, said he was sad to be made aware of a death as recently as 22 April. He added that retaining reports written by the coroner, that have the aim of preventing further deaths, "did not appear to have been a priority for some providers". "It's clear that serious issues with mental healthcare in Essex continue, which underlines the significance and urgency of the work of the inquiry," Mr Griffin said. Mr Griffin said the inquiry had so far received only some of the information it would expect about inquests carried out during the relevant period. He told the inquiry that in 2023, 37,000 inquests were opened across England and Wales and 492 of those occurred in state detention, which included people in mental health hospitals and on formal leave. But he said that record keeping was an ongoing theme and they had difficulty locating all of the prevention of future death reports. "It may be significant that logging and retaining reports that were written and issued with sole purpose of preventing future deaths (PFD's) does not at the moment, appear to have been a priority for some providers. "The inquiry is concerned not enough was being done to monitor PFD reports." A similar concern was recently raised at the neighbouring Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). Mr Griffin said that only last month, the area coroner for Essex issued a prevention of future deaths report to Essex Partnership University Trust, regarding a tragic death at the end of 2023, that was of "considerable relevance to the inquiry". He said that there were multiple failures in the care, management and treatment of the patient that amounted to neglect. He then referred to a second death in the same year which found neglect, and further deaths in 2024 and in 2025 raising "similar issues". Mr Griffin said although more recent deaths were outside the scope of the inquiry, they were relevant, as they may point to "serious and ongoing issues" and the inquiry would "carefully monitor" them. The inquiry also heard how future hearings would look at the multiple number of care regulators and whether it meant some cases were falling through the gaps as a result. Mr Griffin said that the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulated doctors, had received 29 complaints regarding staff in Essex since 2006, none of which had resulted in any action. Since 2008, the Nursing and Midwifery Council identified 149 referrals concerning 133 nurses. Four had been struck off, four cautioned, and 13 were suspended. Mr Griffin said it highlighted the high threshold for taking action against staff and that these regulatory bodies were not the appropriate organisations to deal with systemic issues. Mr Griffin said although the inquiry would focus on inpatient units provided by EPUT and Northeast London NHS Trust (NELFT), it would also include Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) which ran Lexdon Hospital in Colchester. He said the inquiry team had analysed the number of inpatient facilities in Essex, and that that number had reduced from 27 in 2009 to 16 a decade later. Independent expert, consultant psychiatrist Dr Ian Davidson, told the inquiry the reduction was combined with a significant increase in the numbers needing help after 2023. EPUT chief executive Paul Scott has apologised for deaths under his trust's care. Inquiry evidence will continue in April and May. Final recommendations are expected to be published in 2027. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Mental health inquiry chair vows to 'seek out' truth What is the Lampard Inquiry and what could it change? Essex mental health trust: 'We are sorry' Lampard Inquiry website
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Inquiry concerned Essex mental healthcare failures continue
A public inquiry looking at deaths in mental health inpatient units over a four-year period, has highlighted continuing first key evidence sessions in the Lampard Inquiry - examining more than 2,000 deaths at NHS inpatient units in Essex between 2000 and 2023 - have begun in to the inquiry, Nicholas Griffin KC, said he was sad to be made aware of a death as recently as 22 added that retaining reports written by the coroner, that have the aim of preventing further deaths, "did not appear to have been a priority for some providers". "It's clear that serious issues with mental healthcare in Essex continue, which underlines the significance and urgency of the work of the inquiry," Mr Griffin said. Mr Griffin said the inquiry had so far received only some of the information it would expect about inquests carried out during the relevant told the inquiry that in 2023, 37,000 inquests were opened across England and Wales and 492 of those occurred in state detention, which included people in mental health hospitals and on formal he said that record keeping was an ongoing theme and they had difficulty locating all of the prevention of future death reports."It may be significant that logging and retaining reports that were written and issued with sole purpose of preventing future deaths (PFD's) does not at the moment, appear to have been a priority for some providers."The inquiry is concerned not enough was being done to monitor PFD reports."A similar concern was recently raised at the neighbouring Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT).Mr Griffin said that only last month, the area coroner for Essex issued a prevention of future deaths report to Essex Partnership University Trust, regarding a tragic death at the end of 2023, that was of "considerable relevance to the inquiry".He said that there were multiple failures in the care, management and treatment of the patient that amounted to then referred to a second death in the same year which found neglect, and further deaths in 2024 and in 2025 raising "similar issues".Mr Griffin said although more recent deaths were outside the scope of the inquiry, they were relevant, as they may point to "serious and ongoing issues" and the inquiry would "carefully monitor" them. The inquiry also heard how future hearings would look at the multiple number of care regulators and whether it meant some cases were falling through the gaps as a Griffin said that the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulated doctors, had received 29 complaints regarding staff in Essex since 2006, none of which had resulted in any 2008, the Nursing and Midwifery Council identified 149 referrals concerning 133 nurses. Four had been struck off, four cautioned, and 13 were Griffin said it highlighted the high threshold for taking action against staff and that these regulatory bodies were not the appropriate organisations to deal with systemic issues. What is the Lampard Inquiry? Mr Griffin said although the inquiry would focus on inpatient units provided by EPUT and Northeast London NHS Trust (NELFT), it would also include Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) which ran Lexdon Hospital in said the inquiry team had analysed the number of inpatient facilities in Essex, and that that number had reduced from 27 in 2009 to 16 a decade expert, consultant psychiatrist Dr Ian Davidson, told the inquiry the reduction was combined with a significant increase in the numbers needing help after chief executive Paul Scott has apologised for deaths under his trust's evidence will continue in April and recommendations are expected to be published in 2027. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
