Key Summary
- EPUT admits misuse of Oxevision monitoring in mental health patients’ bedrooms
- Inquiry links misuse and ignored alerts to patient deaths, including Elise Sebastian.
- Trust apologises and pledges better training as hearings continue to 2026
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has admitted during an inquiry that their monitoring systems in the bedrooms of mental health patients may have been misused.
The Lampard Inquiry is looking into the 2,000-plus mental health-related deaths in Essex over the past twenty-four years.
A senior healthcare boss from the trust has admitted the misuse of the monitoring systems in their mental health patients’ bedrooms.
Along with the Trust, the makers of Oxevision monitoring system, has also admitted of severe invasion of patients’ privacy.
These bedrooms are constantly under the surveillance of Oxevision’s infrared sensors and cameras.
These sensors placed in a corner of the patients’ bedroom closely watches their pulse and breathing rates.
In case of any abnormality, the system sends an alert to the healthcare professionals’ gadgets with a 15-second-long clear footage of the situation.
However, the inquiry has led to the identification of multiple issues with these systems.
Zephan Trent, executive director of strategy, transformation and digital at EPUT highlighted the possibility of staff continually refreshing the bedroom footages of the patients, which is an inappropriate use of the system.
‘Alarm fatigue’ is another potential issue with these systems.
This is where the staff ignores the system alerts and fail to help the suffering patients.
Elise Sebastian who was found dead in her bedroom at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester was one such victim.
An inquest stated that the staff muted and ignored her alert, leaving her unattended for 28 minutes.
The Stop Oxevision campaign emphasised that, “It was also not possible to prevent staff using the video feed to "maliciously" view patients during private moments.”
So, it is considered as stripping individuals’ rights away especially when they are in a vulnerable state of mind.
“Improvements had been made in staff training, and that patient consent for the use of Oxevision was now actively sought,” assured Trent to the Inquiry while expressing his apology to the bereaved families on behalf of the Trust.
The fifth Lampard Inquiry hearings will focus again on families of those who died under Essex mental health services between 2000 and 2023.
Evidence sessions will continue until November 2026, with recommendations expected in 2027.
However, nearly half of the NHS Trusts across the country still uses these systems.
