Mum says it was her 'worst nightmare' when her son was in an out of Essex mental health services
Julia Hopper lost her son, Christopher, in 2020
A mum who lost her son whilst he was in mental health care says she is 'angry' and numb' after attending the first three days of an inquiry looking into the deaths of mental health patients in Essex.
Julia Hopper campaigns for the equality of neuro-divergent and autistic people.
Her son, Christopher, had autism, epilepsy and an IQ of 58.
She says, he had 'ricocheted' in and out of mental health care and been 'negligently discharged' multiple times.
"The war for me has still not ended. No apologies have been made from the agencies who failed Christopher. I have no faith that things will change because if they were going to make things better they would have done so.
"My ideal outcome from this inquiry is that my phone no longer rings, and I no longer receive calls and frantic messages from the families of children who have been deliberately failed, and left without access to basic mental health care."
The Lampard Inquiry will investigate the deaths of people who were receiving mental health inpatient care in Essex between 2000 and 2023.
On the third day of the inquiry (11 September), an Essex NHS Trust offered their apology.
A barrister representing the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) apologised to bereaved families and acknowledged a series of failings, on behalf of the trust.
Eleanor Grey KC, for EPUT, said there had been "serious issues raised about staff conduct including the neglect and abuse of patients, staff falling asleep on duty and inadequate patient observations".
She said "low staffing levels including those below those authorised by the trust were reported on various wards".
The barrister said "we acknowledge that there have been serious allegations of sexual assault of patients by staff and also of staff by other staff members".
EPUT was formed in 2017 from a merger of the former North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and the former South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
It provides mental health, community health and learning disability services.
Nicholas Griffin KC, counsel to the inquiry, said hearings will resume from 10am on Monday (16 September) with commemorative and impact evidence.