A statutory inquiry into mental health deaths in Essex, led by Baroness Kate Lampard, will begin hearing evidence on 9 September. The inquiry will focus on patients who were under the care of NHS trusts in Essex between 2000 and 2023. The hearings will take place in public in Essex and will be live-streamed online over a three-week period.

The former NHS North Essex Partnership Trust was fined £1.5m by the Health and Safety Executive for the deaths of 11 patients, following calls from families and campaigners for a statutory inquiry into mental health deaths in Essex, with a petition signed by 100,000 people urging for the issue to be debated in Parliament.

The Lampard Inquiry will examine the deaths of patients under the care of Essex Partnership University NHS Trust, as well as two former trusts that it replaced, along with patients in the care of North East London NHS Foundation Trust in Essex. The inquiry was granted full legal powers in 2023 after a lack of engagement from NHS and locum staff. While staff can now be compelled to give evidence, the chair of the inquiry hopes to not have to resort to using her powers for contempt proceedings.

The team behind the Lampard Inquiry has received approximately 100 applications from witnesses wanting to provide evidence, although the exact number of staff members is not confirmed. The Department of Health and Social Care has put out a procurement notice seeking suppliers who can offer emotional support to the