A former NHS mental health nurse has described what he called 'astonishing apathy' among staff and concerns about overmedication at inpatient mental health units where more than 2,000 patients died between 2000 and 2023. Stuart Ayris, who worked as a nurse for 27 years, told the Lampard Inquiry in London that a doctor once remarked, 'The ideal patient is one medicated to just above a coma.' The comment was later dismissed as not being literal, according to Ayris.
Ayris, who worked as a ward manager at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford between 2003 and 2009, testified that colleagues would often isolate themselves in offices, with doors closed, to avoid engaging with patients. He also stated that patients were frequently left waiting for doctors' decisions, and staff avoided learning more about them. This lack of engagement left him feeling 'ashamed,' he told the inquiry.
The inquiry is examining the deaths of individuals admitted to mental health units within Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) over a 23-year period. EPUT has apologized for the losses and stated that staffing and care have been significantly improved.
Ayris also raised concerns about the hospital's focus on protecting itself from blame when incidents occurred, rather than prioritizing patient care. He described the practice of taking away patients' personal belongings if they self-harmed as punitive. Changes to reduce risks, he noted, were often implemented only after serious incidents.
He further criticized what he termed 'conflict-driven, arrogant and aggressive' management, with senior staff sometimes speaking disparagingly about subordinates. Ayris reported being disciplined and moved to a different role after writing a serious incident report following the death of 20-year-old Ben Morris in December 2008. Ayris stated that individuals who spoke up, like himself, often saw their careers suffer.
Ben Morris's mother, Lisa, had previously addressed the hearing, expressing her strong belief that her son was murdered and that his death was falsely recorded as a suicide. She and the inquiry's counsel have claimed that the trust attempted to discredit her as she investigated her son's care.
Ayris also worked at The Lakes in Colchester between 2014 and 2016, where he reported issues including illegal drugs on wards, insufficient staff training, bed shortages, poor family engagement, and inadequate record-keeping. He noted that improvements identified after serious incident investigations were not consistently adopted.
EPUT chief executive Trevor Smith expressed sorrow for the loss of patients over the years and stated that care and staffing have been transformed, with over 300 new roles created to ensure personalized therapeutic care. The inquiry is ongoing.