The Lampard Inquiry, which is investigating deaths of mental health inpatients in Essex between 2000 and 2023, is pleased to announce the appointment of three Independent Assessors, following a rigorous recruitment process. These appointments mark a significant milestone in ensuring clinical and operational rigour as the Inquiry continues to investigate deaths and serious failings in mental health inpatient care.
The Inquiry has already:
- Heard commemorative statements from more than 70 families and loved ones
- Granted 96 core participant applications
- Sent more than 130 formal requests for evidence
- Contacted more than 5,000 people who may have been affected by the matters under investigation
The appointed Independent Assessors bring decades of collective experience in frontline clinical care, mental health service delivery, and healthcare governance. They have been selected for their significant frontline clinical experience and understanding of mental health inpatient standards. Their role will involve offering general advice where they have appropriate knowledge and experience, advising on the Inquiry’s investigative work, and providing advice to the Chair on the Inquiry’s final report and recommendations. Each Assessor will provide expert knowledge and advice to support the Chair, Baroness Kate Lampard, in fulfilling the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
The newly appointed Assessors are:
Dr Nicola Goater (London)
Dr Goater has worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist for over 20 years in areas including crisis, inpatient, intensive care, assessment and community teams. She has significant experience in Crisis Teams, establishing a team in 2003, and working on key research in the area.
She is currently the Responsible Officer for West London NHS Trust and works clinically in Early Intervention in Psychosis, as well as acute psychiatry. Dr Goater has worked as a Locality Clinical Lead, Clinical and Educational Supervisor, and Clinical Director. From 2019-2024 she was the Trust’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Caldicott Guardian as well as Chair of the Trust’s Mortality Review and Medicines Optimisation Groups. She acted as Chief Medical Officer for the Trust in 2020/21.
She wishes to use her knowledge and experience from Crisis and other clinical settings, at interfaces, in teams, organisational roles, and systems in order to contribute to this important process, and to learning. Dr Goater comments: “Having worked as a consultant psychiatrist for over 20 years, it is a privilege to contribute to the serious and important work of the Inquiry, and a responsibility. I hope to use my experience of mental health care in several settings, in crisis care and of roles at different levels in an NHS organisation to contribute to reflection and learning, and to the development of helpful and consequential recommendations.”
Mick O’Driscoll (Derbyshire)
Mick is a retired Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) with 30 years’ experience of working in both junior and senior clinical roles within NHS acute adult mental health services. His various job roles as a staff nurse, matron, clinical nurse specialist, Associate Director of Nursing and Clinical Director, kept him close to the clinical area he most enjoyed – acute inpatient wards. He also developed and led the training of many nursing, medical and occupational therapy staff in his area of specialist interest – understanding suicidal behaviour and risk. In 2014 he was awarded an MBE for services to mental health nursing.
Mick considers there to be many contributing factors to the tragedy of suicides in mental health services. The scale and commitment of the Lampard Inquiry gives him hope for a greater understanding of how we make our services safer. He comments: “As a retired Registered Mental Health Nurse with 30 years’ experience of working in and around acute adult mental health services, and with a particular interest in the understanding and care of suicidal behaviour, I am proud to be part of this essential Inquiry. Learning from the past and making significant and lasting recommendations will give people who use mental health services and their families, greater confidence in the safety of those services.”
Dr Elizabeth Walker (Cheshire)
Dr Walker qualified as a doctor at St George’s Hospital Medical School in 1995 and has worked as a psychiatrist since 1997. She has been a General Adult Consultant Psychiatrist, working in the North West of England, for the last 15 years. Her area of expertise is in continuity of care, having been responsible for the care of her patients through both community and hospital settings. She also plays an active role in medical education (e.g. training students and junior and senior doctors) and management.
Dr Walker is excited about having a role in this inquiry, in order to help improve mental health care for current and future patients and their families. She comments: “I have been working in inpatient and community psychiatry for over twenty years and am passionate about delivering good quality care. I am looking forward to assisting with the inquiry in order to learn from what has happened in the past and ensure that things change for the better.”
Baroness Kate Lampard, Chair of the Inquiry, said:
“The appointment of these Independent Assessors is a critical step in ensuring the Inquiry meets its Terms of Reference with the highest standards of clinical and operational rigour. Each Assessor brings unique and valuable expertise that will inform the Inquiry’s work and final recommendations.”
The Chair may wish to appoint additional assessors over the course of the Inquiry as she sees relevant.
The Inquiry has also published a protocol on the role and appointment of independent assessors which sets out further information about their role and can be found here.
