Baroness Kate Lampard, chair of a public inquiry into mental health deaths, said she could issue interim recommendations within weeks if she identifies urgent patient safety risks. The Lampard Inquiry examines more than 2,000 deaths of people under the care of Essex mental health services between 2000 and the end of 2023.

Hearings resume on 5 October. Baroness Lampard said any early recommendations would likely focus on inpatient safety, resuscitation procedures and monitoring technology used to detect patients in distress. She noted these issues extend beyond Essex. "Those two matters are not specific to Essex and therefore the evidence the inquiry hears will be of relevance to service providers across the entire country," she said.

The inquiry is examining Oxevision, a monitoring system that uses infrared sensors and cameras to record breathing and pulse rates while patients are in bedrooms. Multiple NHS mental health trusts in England use the technology. Concerns have been raised about privacy, dignity and whether it substitutes for face-to-face care.

Tammy Smith, whose daughter Sophie Alderman died in 2022, told the inquiry that the system "actually takes away human interaction. They are at their most vulnerable. They need those conversations. They need someone to ask, 'Are you OK? Do you need anything?'"

LIO Health, the company behind Oxevision, said the technology helps prevent serious incidents, supports staff care delivery and reduces paperwork time. NHS England said any vision-based monitoring technology must support a human rights-based approach to care and comply with legal requirements and patient consent.

Hearings run through 15 October and will include evidence from NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Families will give views on possible recommendations during a virtual hearing on 20 October. Baroness Lampard will then decide whether to issue interim recommendations.

The inquiry's final report, which could have national implications for mental health services across England, is not expected until 2028.