£5m spent on deaths inquiry still years from completion

An inquiry into deaths linked to a mental health trust is not expected to report for another two years and has already cost more than £5m, HSJ can reveal.

An Essex mental health inquiry was first launched in early 2021 to explore at least 2,000 deaths over a 20-year period, but the initial exercise was abandoned in autumn 2023. A new chair was brought in to lead an inquiry on a statutory footing that had been called for by families of people who died.

Information newly obtained by HSJ shows £5.1m had been spent on the work in total by September 2024 – including £2.2m on the previous inquiry before it was abandoned.

Before the overhaul in 2023, the inquiry team had previously indicated it would consider at least 2,000 deaths over a 20-year period. It will now cover a further three years and more deaths, although the exact number has not been established.

Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust and predecessor trusts have previously been linked to a string of serious problems, and the inquiry will consider the link between care failings and deaths of patients or former patients.

Public hearings, which started last year, are set to resume next week.

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Source: HSJ, 24 April 2025