News summary produced by Claude AI
A senior clinical manager at a mental health services trust in Essex provided testimony to the Lampard Inquiry regarding the handling of thousands of incident reports. Brian O’Donnell, a clinical lead at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester, stated that at the end of 2024, he was asked to review incident reports that had been raised by staff, with some dating back to 2021. According to O’Donnell’s account, he was instructed by a senior staff member to ensure these reports were “gone,” which he said included incidents involving self-harm, assaults on staff, and racial abuse.
O’Donnell expressed concern that the directive to process and remove the reports appeared motivated by anxiety surrounding the ongoing inquiry. He stated that he initially closed some reports but ceased doing so after determining he could not personally verify that thorough investigations had been completed. O’Donnell indicated that remaining reports subsequently disappeared from his dashboard without his knowledge of their ultimate disposition.
The witness also raised broader concerns about trust operations, including staffing shortages and a workplace culture that discouraged staff from reporting safety issues. O’Donnell alleged that his access to incident reporting systems was removed four days after he raised concerns with a coroner following the death of a 16-year-old patient, which he characterized as a retaliatory measure intended to silence dissent. He further claimed staff received guidance to provide minimal information at inquests and suggested the organization prioritized reputation management over supporting employees who raised concerns.
The Lampard Inquiry was established in response to deaths among mental health patients over a 24-year period. Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust responded to inquiries by stating that all reports are treated seriously, documented, and investigated. The trust’s chief executive emphasized that staff have a professional duty to report concerns and cited efforts to foster a culture supporting issue reporting.