Concerns over monitoring system used by mental health trusts
The public inquiry into the deaths of at least 2,000 people under the care of mental health services heard "grave concerns" about the use of a digital patient monitoring system.
The technology, called Oxevision, was used by half of England's mental health trusts and uses infrared sensors and cameras to monitor patients alone in their rooms, sending alerts to staff when it detects signs of distress or abnormal activity.
The Lampard Inquiry was told campaigners were concerned the technology had been overly relied upon by staff, and many patients' experiences of the technology were "intrusive, undignified, dehumanising and traumatising".
Oxevsion's manufacturer said the system played a critical role in preventing harm, but agreed filming a patient 24 hours a day could possibly "constitute a very significant invasion of privacy".
Counsel for the Lampard Inquiry, Nicolas Griffin KC, said Oxevision had proved controversial and had featured in a number of recent inquests.
These included patients Michael Nolan and Morgan Rose-Hart, who died in 2022, along with Elise Sebastian, who died in April 2021.
Elise was found unresponsive in her bedroom at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester.
The 16-year-old was supposed to receive one-to-one care, but an inquest was told the Oxevision alert system, linked with her bedroom, was muted and she was left alone for 28 minutes.
Source: BBC News, 14 October 2025