Lawyers tell inquiry ‘patients’ lives are at stake’ through improper use of Oxevision system for most vulnerable

Families bereaved by the misuse of an “intrusive” camera monitoring system for vulnerable patients used in half of England’s mental health wards, have called for it to be banned to help prevent more avoidable deaths.

Lawyers for the families said “patients’ lives are at stake” by the continuing use of Oxevision, the Lampard inquiry into mental health deaths in Essex heard on Tuesday.

The inquiry was told that five patients killed themselves, or died unexpectedly, in two years while being surveilled by Oxevision’s infrared cameras at Essex Partnership University NHS foundation trust (Eput).

Peter Mant KC, representing more than 70 bereaved families, including the family of Elise Sebastian, 16, who killed herself in 2021 when staff had muted Oxevision’s alarm system, said: “Use of this technology has contributed in material ways to harms, and in some cases deaths of patients, due to the misapplication of the system.”

Addressing Kate Lampard, the chair of the inquiry, Brenda Campbell KC, representing other bereaved families including that of Sophie Alderman who the inquiry heard mistakenly believed in 2022 that Oxevision would bring staff to save her, said: “We urge you to recommend that the use of Oxevision on mental health inpatient wards is stopped nationally.”

She added: “Its harms have fallen hardest on detained, traumatised and neurodivergent patients, and no regulator took responsibility for it.”

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© Photograph: Supplied

© Photograph: Supplied

© Photograph: Supplied

Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Monday he wishes to discuss with former nurses why they abandoned the profession.

Speaking on CyBC, Charalambides said he could not give an exact number of non-practising nurses as he had been provided differing figures.

He said he wanted to “hear from them directly and record their experiences and concerns”.

Charalambides conceded that “poor experiences at work and low pay” may well be among the reasons for their departure.

His remarks followed a House health committee session last week, where a representative of the nursing council said some 1,450 trained nurses are not presently practising.

The committee was also informed that 988 nurses under 40 are not renewing their licences.

Charalambides said the shortage was “particularly significant”, and the general health system (Gesy) was under “heavy pressure”.

The ministry’s immediate steps include bills before parliament that would allow the controlled hiring of nurses from outside the EU.

Ministry spokeswoman Carolina Stylianou told MPs on Thursday the plan would allow hospitals to employ about 150 such nurses and was a “temporary solution” until efforts to draw young Cypriots into nursing take hold.

Under the proposals, nurses from third countries would need the required qualifications and, as a rule, two years of experience.

They could make up no more than 10 per cent of a hospital’s nursing staff and would not be permitted to work as shift managers.

Licences would last two years, and Greek language requirements would be tougher than those applied to nurses from EU states.

Unions rejected the plan at the committee, with the Nurses’ union (Pasyno) refuting that such an act would “address the root of the problem”, arguing instead that wages and working conditions must be tackled.

Pasyno further demanded that Greek language proficiency for such nurses be held at a minimum level of C1, that being a strongest command of Greek behind C2 fluency.

For the immediate future, Charalambides said the ministry was running a campaign to attract young people to nursing schools and offering scholarships to students.

He said universities had relayed to him that interest in nursing studies was rising, with new enrolments at Cypriot universities rising from 98 in 2024 to 238 this year.

The committee will resume the debate next Thursday, when it hears from employers and the private hospitals association (Pasin).