On the 9th of September 2024, The Lampard Inquiry started in the town of Chelmsford in Essex. The aim of the inquiry is to investigate over 2000 deaths that occurred in Essex mental health units or within three months of being discharged, from 2000 - 2023. Just three days prior, on the 6th of September, Melanie Leahy, the mother who fought for this inquiry after her son Matthew died in 2012, opened her door to a journalist, who gave her some truly shocking news that made headlines across...

In this episode, I, Naomi, tell you why I wanted to make this series. Because a friend of mine, 34-year-old Suzanne Brown, known lovingly as Sue, was murdered by her boyfriend. My friend and her boyfriend consistently asked for help for his mental health issues, but that help never came. My friend Sam, Sue's best friend, helps me tell her story, as we remember the incredible woman she was. Follow Melanie Leahy's fight for...

Whilst around 2000 deaths are being investigated by the Lampard Inquiry, there have been many other deaths of people who have been under the care of Essex mental health services, but they aren't being included. This is because they fall outside of the three-month post discharge window set by the terms of reference. People like 21-year-old Tillie, who just missed out on being included in the inquiry, despite years of treatment under EPUT. This is Tillie's story, told by her mother Lisa....

In this episode, we see what happens when staff make the wrong decision. A decision that can mean the difference between life or death. 35-year-old Joshua Leader was about to admitted into a mental health unit in Essex, after a mental health nurse saw that Joshua was on the edge of life. But another nurse decided that wasn't going to happen, without reading Joshua's notes and without giving him a proper assessment. He was sent home and 2 days later, he was dead. This is Joshua's story,...

26-year-old Abbigail Smith was the apple of her mother's eye. She was a talented young woman with a beautiful voice and a kind heart. But her struggles with autism and mental health meant that she was frequently in the hands of those working in Essex mental health services, spending years in inpatient facilities, trying to be saved. But Abbigail's mother Lisa, said that instead of being saved, she was traumatised by the things she saw and things that happened to her whilst in the states...

In this episode, we look at a number of sexual assaults on patients, committed by staff within mental health units in Essex and hear accounts from some of the victims. Follow Melanie Leahy's fight for justice: https://curementalhealth.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/470129540220825/ To find out more about the Lampard Inquiry: https://lampardinquiry.org.uk/ Please note this episode includes both references to sexual assault, self-harm and suicide. If you need support, please see...

When Paul Rucklidge-Smith's mother Dot started to experience mental health issues in later life, he did everything he could to keep his mother safe. Dot was living with manic depression and dementia, and after several stays in mental health units across Essex, she was put into in a hospital where she started to decline further. She told Paul that she thought she would die if he didn't get her out of there. And tragically, she was right. This is Dot's story, told by her son Paul. Follow...

Christopher Nota was a 19-year-old young man, who was loved by everyone who met him. He had autism and mental health issues, and his mother Julia did everything she could to keep him safe. But when he was placed in to the care of mental health services in Southend in Essex, they did not do everything they could to keep him safe. And he ended up dying in the most horrific way. Julia wants answers. In this episode, she shares Chris' story. Follow Melanie Leahy's fight for...

With the number of deaths on Essex mental health wards rising since the year 2000, journalists and programme makers across the country were conducting their own investigations, way before the Lampard Inquiry was commissioned. in this episode, we review what was found. And it's nothing short of harrowing. Follow Melanie Leahy's fight for justice: https://curementalhealth.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/470129540220825/ To find out more about the Lampard Inquiry:...

Ben Morris was a 20-year-old father who wanted to get better for his baby girl. His mental health was deteriorating and he needed to be in a place of safety. Ben was found dead in his room in an Essex mental health ward in December 2008. But his mother Lisa, does not accept that he took his own life. She believes someone took it from him and in this episode, she explains why. Follow Melanie Leahy's fight for...

In 2012, 20-year-old Matthew Leahy was sectioned in a mental health hospital in Essex. He had gone there for help for his declining mental health issues. But Matthew told his mother that he was seeing things on the ward that were criminal. In November 2012, he made a call to the police, and told them he had been drugged and raped. Four days later, he was dead. And every day since then, his mother Melanie Leahy, has fought for answers and her fight is one of the main reasons there is now a...

In 2023, the UK government announced it would be investigating the deaths of 2000 patients, who died under Essex mental health services, as part of a public inquiry. With the inquiry now underway, some of the families of those who lost their lives, whilst in the care of Essex Partnership University Trust and its predecessors, are telling their tragic and heartbreaking stories. Many of these families still have no idea why their loved ones died and they are hoping this inquiry will hold to...