Recently learned by a public inquiry that 1500 people’s deaths were in the care of the Essex Mental Health Service.
Many of these deaths were either inpatients or people who had died within 3 months of being discharged from the care of the mental health service.
Dr. Geraldine Strathdee, chairwoman of the inquiry, said “at this stage, we only know the causes of death in 40% of those people”.
She is appealing for more people to come forward about these sudden deaths, the inquiry started by taking information and evidence from the public in the later months of 2021.
The appeal has so far brought 14 families of those who have passed to give information as well as other members of the public.
Dr Strathdee added “a lack of basic information being provided to patients and their loved ones and “major differences in the quality of care” were also things she had repeatedly heard limited information about the deaths and they were seeking further information rapidly so that we understand which of those 1,500 people will need further investigation”.
One of the victims named was Richard Wade who was at the age of 30 when he died at The Linden Centre in Chelmsford in May 2015.
Richard had a good life ahead of him he worked in the City of London and had a Ph.D. in political science, he was admitted to the center in Essex over fears that Richard would self-harm after the earlier recurrence of depression he suffered from.
His father Robert said, “they left Richard with scissors, razors, shoelaces, electrical cords, and a dressing gown cord”.
His room was where someone else had taken their own life three months beforehand, but hazards in the room’s layout were still in place.
“It’s the same errors and the same flaws, time after time,” he added.
