11 Sep Families represented at Lampard Inquiry by Leigh Day human rights lawyers
Families who are demanding urgent change to mental health services following the deaths of their loved ones while in the care of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) will have their voices heard at the Lampard Inquiry.
Leigh Day human rights lawyers represent the families of TJ Pimm and Joshua Leader at the inquiry, which began on Monday 9 September 2024 and is expected to last until at least 2026.
The families are represented by human rights partners Emma Jones and Merry Varney, along with solicitor Caleb Bawdon.
TJ Pimm died aged 30 on 26 August 2016 after he was refused a full mental health assessment at Colchester General Hospital the previous day. In 2022 an inquest jury concluded adequate and appropriate steps were not taken to protect TJ’s life. TJ, of Dovercourt, had a longstanding diagnosis of anxiety with depression and his mental health had fluctuated since 2010. EPUT accepted there was a breach of duty on the day TJ reached out for help.
Joshua Leader died aged 35 on 20 November 2020. An inquest into his death in July 2024 concluded that his suicide was contributed to by neglect at EPUT. He was refused admission to the Lakes Mental Health Hospital two days before his death, even though a mental health nurse concluded he was at immediate risk.
Joshua had a long history of mental illness, including diagnoses of psychosis and schizophrenia.
The coroner said there was a gross failure to provide basic care, with no detailed safety plan to ameliorate Joshua’s suicide risk. There were significant missed opportunities to develop a robust and thorough care plan, there was insufficient action to robustly address concerns and deterioration posed by him not taking medication.
The Lampard Inquiry will aim to understand what happened to patients who died at children and adult inpatient units, under the care of the NHS in Essex, between the years 2000 and 2023.
The deaths of up to 2,000 people are expected to be investigated by the inquiry, however Baroness Lampard, who leads the inquiry, has already warned she believes this may be a significant underestimate.
The Inquiry is likely to take place over several years, during which Baroness Lampard will confirm the issues to be investigated, gather and hear relevant evidence, and publish a report with findings and recommendations.
TJ and Joshua’s families are among several who will read impact statements to the inquiry during the autumn. The families hope that barristers instructed by their lawyers will be able to question witnesses during the hearings for accountability for the deaths of their loved ones and ultimately result in recommendations and change which will prevent other families suffering the same failures they did.
The hearings this September will take place at the Civic Centre in Chelmsford and be streamed on YouTube. Hearings next year will take place at a venue in central London.
Leigh Day partner Emma Jones said:
“Listening to the Chair’s opening yesterday has given us confidence that she will lead this Inquiry fearlessly and will not shy away from highlighting any failures she identifies. Over the last two decades roughly 100 people have died whilst under the care of mental health services each year – in Essex alone. Individuals who need to access mental health services are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and deserve the full protection of the state. We hope that any recommendations the Chair makes will help to fix what is a truly broken system.”
