Victoria Sebastian, the mother of a 16-year-old girl who died at an Essex mental health unit, directly appealed to the chair of a public inquiry on Monday, urging her to "Don't let the blood be on your hands - you can change things." Elise Sebastian, who was autistic, was found unresponsive in her room at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester in April 2021.
Her mother delivered emotional testimony at the Lampard Inquiry in London, which is investigating the deaths of more than 2,000 individuals under the care of Essex mental health services between 2000 and 2023. "They let my daughter die. My daughter meant nothing [to them]. Absolutely nothing," Sebastian told the hearing.
She expressed her belief that Baroness Lampard possesses the authority to ensure the inquiry's recommendations lead to significant improvements in care. Baroness Lampard assured bereaved families that they would be central to the inquiry's process as it seeks to identify systemic failures for national learning. The Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which manages mental health services in Essex, issued an apology, stating that Elise "did not receive the care she deserved."
