Britain’s mental health reckoning - part one

英国的心理健康大清算——第一部分

The Story

2026-02-02

31 分钟
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A public inquiry is currently investigating the deaths of over 2000 mental health inpatients in the care of NHS trusts in Essex. The inquiry resumes this week, but the fact it exists at all is largely down to the campaign of one woman; Melanie Leahy, whose son Matthew died in Chelmsford in 2012.  This programme includes material that some listeners may find distressing, including descriptions of suicide. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Melanie Leahy, campaigner and mother of Matthew. Host: Daniel Gordon. Producers: Daniel Gordon, Edward Drummond. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised, the following organisations can help:  SANE is a charity which provides emotional support and specialist services for people who need help with their mental health and their families. Its helpline, SANEline, is 0300 304 7000. Details of other ways to get in touch can be found at sane.org.uk  MIND is another mental health charity offering support, its main information line is 0300 102 1234 Details of other helplines can be found at mind.org.uk  The Samaritans provides 24 hour emotional support to people struggling to cope or relatives bereaved by suicide. Call 116 123, or visit samaritans.org. Clips: Melanie Leahy, Essex Police, Lampard Inquiry, Sky News, The Telegraph, UK Parliament Youtube channel, Channel 5 News. Photo: JOE GIDDENS/PA This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is the story.

  • I'm Daniel Gordon.

  • When we entrust our health and that of our loved ones to the care of an NHS hospital,

  • we're expecting to be taken care of and we're expecting to recover.

  • In Essex, a barrister in a sharp black suit is making his case.

  • His notes propped up by a pile of documents.

  • We expect to recover because mental illness is not a terminal diagnosis.

  • Even if it carries risks to life, or may have a lifelong impact.

  • He's not addressing a court.

  • This is a public inquiry which is investigating over 20 years of mental health care in the county.

  • Fundamentally,

  • we do not expect our loved ones to die while undergoing treatment for psychiatric illness.

  • The Lampard Inquiry begins hearing another section of evidence today.

  • It's investigating the deaths of over 2,000 people who received that care,

  • deaths which may have been preventable.

  • I'm a freelance journalist and while I was investigating this story,

  • I remember being shocked by those numbers and by the fact that so few people seem to have heard about it.

  • So over the next two days, I'm going to tell you about this inquiry,

  • the first of its kind, and what it reveals about the state of our mental health services.

  • And I'm going to start with one woman.