This page contains information for current and former staff members of mental health inpatient care providers in Essex. Here, you can access Frequently Asked Questions, links to relevant documents, and information about our emotional support service.
Contact us
If you believe you have relevant information to provide to the Inquiry, please contact us by emailing: contact@lampardinquiry.org.uk
Relevant documents
The Lampard Inquiry has several policies in place that may be relevant to you as a current or former employee of a care provider in Essex. Please find the links to these documents below:
- Protocol on Witness Statements
- Protocol on Whistleblowing
- Vulnerable Witnesses Protocol
- Protocol on Restriction Orders
Emotional support
Please note that all those who engage with the Inquiry are entitled to access our free, independent emotional support service provided by Hestia.
FAQs
What is the Lampard Inquiry?
The Lampard Inquiry is a statutory public inquiry into the deaths of mental health inpatients under the care of NHS Trust(s) in Essex (“the Trust(s)”) between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2023. For a more comprehensive summary of our scope, you can view our full Terms of Reference, Explanatory Note and List of Issues.
Public inquiries are investigations into issues of public concern. They are inquisitorial in nature, rather than adversarial. For more information about public inquiries visit our ‘About Inquiries’ page.
Which providers are in scope of the Inquiry?
A list of providers that are in scope can be found below.
NHS providers
1. Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and its predecessors:
- North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEPT)
- South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT).
2. North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NEFLT).
Independent sector providers
- Priory Healthcare
- Cygnet Healthcare
- St Andrews Healthcare
- NEST Healthcare
For more information regarding the scope of the Inquiry please read the Explanatory note.
I work for an Essex-based healthcare provider that is not an NHS Trust, how do I know if I have information relevant to the Inquiry?
If you work, or have worked, for independent mental healthcare providers in Essex and:
- have been involved in the care of any individual who died whilst in NHS-funded inpatient care or within 3 months of discharge from NHS-funded inpatient care;
- or you have witnessed poor care of an NHS-funded inpatient which amounted to serious harm short of death;
You may have information relevant to the Inquiry and we would strongly encourage you to contact the Inquiry by emailing: contact@lampardinquiry.org.uk
The relevant providers and sites are as follows:
Priory Healthcare: Priory Hospital Chelmsford, Priory Elm Park.
St Andrews Healthcare: St Andrews Hospital Essex.
Cygnet: Cygnet Hospital Colchester, Cygnet Yew Trees, Cygnet Thors Park.
If you worked at any of the above sites whilst they were run by a previous provider between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2023, you may still have information relevant to the Inquiry.
I work for North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), how do I know if I have information relevant to the Inquiry?
If you have worked for NELFT’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Essex between 2017 – 2023, or for NELFT at Mascalls Park Hospital between 2000 – 2011 and:
- have been involved in or witnessed the care of any individual who died whilst an inpatient or within 3 months of discharge;
- or you have witnessed poor care of an inpatient which amounted to serious harm short of death;
You may have information relevant to the Inquiry and we would strongly encourage you to contact the Inquiry.
Further information about the scope of the Inquiry’s investigations.
If the trust or private provider where I work or worked, is not listed above, can I still provide information to the Inquiry?
If you consider that you have evidence that is relevant, you should make contact with the Inquiry please contact: contact@lampardinquiry.org.uk.
If I am asked to provide evidence to the Lampard Inquiry, how will this work?
Requests for evidence are made under Rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules 2006 (“Rule 9 requests”). Rule 9 requests are written requests for evidence, namely witness statements or relevant documents.
Rule 9 requests for evidence will be sent by email or post. The Inquiry will send Rule 9 requests to individuals directly, unless they are legally represented, in which case requests will be sent to your legal representative. We will not send a Rule 9 request via your employer unless you ask us to.
Rule 9 requests will set out exactly what information the Inquiry would like from you, and you will be given sufficient time to respond to the Rule 9 request.
More information about support available to recipients of Rule 9 requests is set out above.
Is giving evidence to the Inquiry compulsory?
If you have received a Rule 9 request for evidence, you should comply with this request promptly. Registered healthcare professionals are reminded that they have a professional obligation to cooperate with inquiries and investigations, which includes the Lampard Inquiry. If you do not respond to a Rule 9 request, it is at the Chair’s discretion to issue a notice under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005 compelling you to respond.
I have received a Rule 9 request for evidence. Does my employer (or former employer) know?
The Inquiry’s starting point is that Rule 9 requests are private between the Inquiry and the recipient. The Inquiry will therefore issue requests to individuals directly wherever possible, unless they have nominated a legal representative to act for them or they tell us otherwise.
If you receive a Rule 9 request, you will be asked to keep its contents confidential. However, if you decide that you would like support from your employer (or former employer) in responding to the request, you will be permitted to share the request for that purpose.
In some circumstances, the Inquiry may have to notify your employer (or former employer) of the intention to send a Rule 9 request before it is sent. For example, we may need to obtain your contact details from your employer (or former employer). In those circumstances, we would not share the details of the request itself, only your name and role (or former role). It would then still be a matter for you whether you wish to share the request itself with your employer (or former employer) for the purposes of obtaining support.
Do I need legal representation?
You are not required to have a lawyer in order to participate with the Inquiry; the Inquiry has done its best to make it possible for witnesses to participate without legal representation.
However, all witnesses to the Inquiry are entitled to seek legal representation and this is something that recipients of Rule 9 requests may wish to consider.
There are several options for obtaining legal representation that might be open to you. For example, if you are an employee (or former employee) of EPUT or NELFT there may be specific legal support available to you. In addition, if you do not wish to obtain support via your employer (or former employer) you may be able to access independent legal support. The Inquiry Team cannot provide you with legal advice but can provide you with information about your options for obtaining legal advice. If you would like to discuss your options, please contact the Inquiry team by emailing: contact@lampardinquiry.org.uk
I am concerned about my job security if I speak with the Inquiry. What should I do?
If you are named in evidence by someone else, the Inquiry will make reasonable efforts to contact you (via your employer or former employer) and tell you about it before publishing your name.
If you are concerned that someone else has included your name in their evidence, you may be able to submit a response to the Inquiry and you may wish to consider applying for a restriction order, if there are legal grounds for doing so. More information about restriction orders can be found in the Inquiry’s Protocol on Restriction Orders and you may wish to seek legal support before making any application.
If, despite reasonable efforts, we are not able to contact you, we may nevertheless publish your name. That will be a decision for the Chair to make on a case-by-case basis, taking into account a range of factors, including the context in which you are named and the extent to which it is deemed necessary and proportionate to publish your name. At the time of publication (December 2025) the Inquiry is developing a process that will give individuals the opportunity to respond to criticisms or factual inaccuracies that they perceive in evidence. This page will be updated with more information about this in due course.
I have received a Rule 9 request and I am worried. What should I do?
If you are concerned after having received a request for evidence, please contact the Inquiry Team by emailing: contact@lampardinquiry.org.uk. The Inquiry Team can discuss any concerns or queries that you might have.
The Inquiry also offers free, independent emotional support for all of those who engage with us. The Inquiry team can provide you with details on how to access this service, or arrange this on your behalf. For further information, please see our Support Page.
I am concerned about being named in public evidence by someone else. What can I do?
If you are named in evidence by someone else the Inquiry will make reasonable efforts to contact you (via your employer or former employer) and tell you about it before publishing your name.
If you are concerned that someone else has included your name in their evidence, you may be able to submit a response to the Inquiry and you may wish to consider applying for a restriction order, if there are legal grounds for doing so. More information about restriction orders can be found in the Inquiry’s Protocol on Restriction Orders and you may wish to seek legal support before making any application.
If, despite reasonable efforts, we are not able to contact you, we may nevertheless publish your name. That will be a decision for the Chair to make on a case-by-case basis, taking into account a range of factors, including the context in which you are named and the extent to which it is deemed necessary and proportionate to publish your name.
At the time of publication (December 2025) the Inquiry is in the process of developing a process that will give individuals the opportunity to respond to criticisms or factual inaccuracies that they perceive in evidence. This page will be updated with more information about this in due course.
I was approached by the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry to give evidence. Do I still need to give evidence?
Those who received personal invitations to give evidence to the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry may or may not be required to give evidence to the Lampard Inquiry. Individuals who were previously approached will be notified of updates to their status as and when updates become available.
