Lawyers representing more than 70 bereaved families have urged the discontinuation of Oxevision, an infrared camera monitoring system deployed across approximately half of England’s mental health wards, during hearings of the Lampard inquiry into mental health deaths in Essex.
The families argue that the technology has contributed materially to patient harm and deaths. They presented evidence that five patients died by suicide or unexpectedly while under Oxevision surveillance at Essex Partnership University NHS foundation trust over a two-year period. Among the cases highlighted was that of a 16-year-old who died in 2021 when staff had disabled the system’s alarm function. Legal representatives contended that the cameras frequently substituted for direct patient observation and therapeutic engagement, which experts identified as critical to treatment and recovery. They further noted that claims about the system’s effectiveness, made by manufacturer Lio, were not supported by verified evidence and that the inquiry’s own statisticians found no substantiation for such claims.
Concerns were also raised about the psychological impact of the surveillance technology on vulnerable patients. Legal counsel described the cameras as creating an invasive power imbalance on psychiatric wards and noted that the infrared cameras in patient bedrooms eliminated privacy and created uncertainty about when patients were being monitored. Expert testimony indicated the technology could increase paranoia among patients and prompted some to react adversely to the surveillance devices.
Representatives of Lio, the Oxford-based manufacturer, disputed calls for a ban, arguing that questions about implementation by trusts do not justify discontinuing the system. They emphasized that the technology was designed to assist rather than replace staff engagement and that only four of the approximately 2,000 deaths under examination occurred while Oxevision was in use, with no coroner’s reports attributing deaths to the system itself. They contended the technology had helped identify operational failures and enabled staff interventions in safety incidents.
Chair Kate Lampard is considering issuing interim recommendations, potentially including suspension of Oxevision use. Separately, the information commissioner launched an inquiry earlier this year into the system over data protection concerns.
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