Five deaths while monitored by cameras

The Lampard inquiry heard that five patients killed themselves or died unexpectedly in two years while surveilled by Oxevision infrared cameras at Essex Partnership University NHS foundation trust.

Elise Sebastian, sixteen, muted alarm

Elise Sebastian, sixteen, killed herself in twenty twenty-one when staff had muted Oxevision's alarm system. Her family is among more than seventy bereaved families calling for the system to be banned.

Sophie Alderman believed cameras would save her

Sophie Alderman mistakenly believed in twenty twenty-two that Oxevision would bring staff to save her. She took her life while being monitored. Her family is represented in the inquiry.

Lawyers: system used as substitute for care

Peter Mant KC told the inquiry that Oxevision has frequently prevented vital in-person care. The remote system has been used as a substitute for observations, missing opportunities for therapeutic engagement between staff and patients.

“It has far too often been used as a substitute for in-person observations.”

Manufacturer's claims lack evidence

Mant said claims made for Oxevision's effectiveness by Lio, its Oxford-based manufacturer, were based on nothing more than unverified anecdote. The inquiry's own statisticians found no evidence to support its effectiveness.

Cameras create power imbalance and paranoia

Brenda Campbell KC said the intrusive camera technology creates a coercive power imbalance on psychiatric wards. Expert evidence showed Oxevision's cameras can increase paranoia and prompted some patients to scream at the device.

“A camera in a bedroom is a very significant invasion of privacy, affording patients no sanctuary and no means of knowing when they are being watched.”

System spread to half of NHS trusts

Despite concerns, Oxevision spread to up to fifty percent of NHS trusts. Sophie Alderman's mother said her daughter feared being trapped or spied upon, yet the intrusive technology continued to expand.

Manufacturer defends system effectiveness

Stuart Marchant, representing Lio, told the inquiry that only four of the two thousand deaths examined took place while Oxevision was in use.

Lampard considering interim regulations

Lady Lampard is considering issuing interim regulations, including over the use of Oxevision, if she considers action necessary to prevent more deaths.