The Lampard Inquiry, which is investigating deaths of more than 2,000 individuals in Essex mental health units, has identified systemic issues with patient consent procedures related to digital monitoring technology. During recent inquiry hearings, NHS England disclosed that it had referred ten mental health trusts to the Care Quality Commission following a review of monitoring systems, including Oxevision, which uses infrared technology to track breathing and pulse in patient bedrooms.
According to evidence presented at the inquiry, concerns about the technology’s implementation emerged as early as 2021, with specific problems cited regarding consent, patient observations, and human rights compliance. An internal NHS England email from 2022 indicated that some trusts had allowed monitoring to occur without giving patients the option to refuse. The inquiry was told that in 2023, NHS England instructed mental health trusts to avoid implementing monitoring technology as a standardized practice across all patients, and recommended individual assessments with patient involvement when feasible.
Gareth Harry, NHS England’s National Delivery Director for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism, acknowledged that a subsequent review uncovered ten trusts that were not properly operating their consent procedures in accordance with digital principles. NHS England submitted its findings to the CQC on 2 October. When questioned about the delay in addressing safety concerns that had been raised years earlier, Harry indicated that individual trusts held responsibility for implementing guidance rather than NHS England maintaining direct oversight.
Barefoot Lampard indicated the possibility of issuing interim recommendations on technology adoption if imminent patient safety risks are identified, separate from the inquiry’s final report anticipated in 2028. The inquiry is scheduled to continue until 15 October, followed by a virtual hearing on 20 October.
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