Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry

Opened the debate

The MP is concerned about the low engagement of EPUT staff in the non-statutory inquiry, which has only received evidence from 11 out of over 14,000 staff members. This includes cases where patients at high risk were able to leave facilities unmonitored and subsequently died. The MP highlights specific examples such as Jayden Booroff's death after absconding the Linden Centre. She also emphasizes the impact on survivors who have experienced horrific treatment while in care, including sexual abuse and excessive use of restraint.

Government Response

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford) for securing this important debate. The Government are committed to improving mental health services across the country and launched the independent inquiry in January 2021, covering a 20-year period from 2000 to 2020. However, I am concerned about the level of co-operation that the inquiry has received. Dr Strathdee raised concerns about staff engagement and document availability. The Secretary of State met Paul Scott, the chief executive of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, seeking assurance on actions to encourage more staff engagement and provide all evidence requested by the inquiry. An additional 600 cases were recently sent to the inquiry during a validation process; though not ideal, appropriate staffing and resources have been allocated. The participation of families is equally important, but I am disappointed that some families who lost loved ones did not participate. Our view is that a non-statutory inquiry remains the most effective way to get to the truth quickly without dragging clinicians through public processes. However, if we do not see a dramatic increase in co-operation, we will move to a statutory inquiry. We are currently in this environment of the non-statutory inquiry, which allows an informal approach. People do not have to give evidence under oath in the way they would if we went to a statutory approach. There is an opportunity for people to co-operate more with the inquiry. I assure hon. Members that the work of the inquiry will continue at the same time as the rapid review into patient safety in mental health settings across England, which Dr Strathdee will lead over the next couple of weeks. This is absolutely the last chance to make progress. If staff engagement and access to documents remain unsatisfactory despite these actions, we will consider whether the inquiry should remain on a non-statutory footing.