‘Grave concerns’ about Oxevision monitoring system

A public inquiry into the deaths of at least 2,000 people in mental health care has raised “serious concerns” about the use of a digital patient monitoring system.

The technology, called Oxevision, has been used by half of England's mental health trusts and uses infrared sensors and cameras to monitor patients alone in their rooms, sending alerts to staff if signs of distress or abnormal activity are detected.

The Lampard inquiry was told that campaigners were concerned that staff were overly reliant on the technology and that many patients' experiences with the technology were “intrusive, degrading, dehumanizing and traumatic”.

Manufacturer Oxevsion said the system played a critical role in preventing harm, but agreed that filming a patient 24 hours a day could “represent a very serious invasion of privacy”.

This week marked the fifth series of hearings overseen by Baroness Lampard as part of England's first public inquiry into deaths from mental illness.

The inquiry aimed to find out why at least 2,000 patients died while being treated in NHS mental health services in Essex between 2000 and 2023.

University of Essex NHS Foundation Trust [EPUT] previously apologized to the families during interrogation.

Lampard inquiry lawyer Nicholas Griffin KC stated that Oxevision has proven controversial and has been involved in a number of recent investigations.

Among them were patients Michael Nolan and Morgan Rose-Hartwho died in 2022 along with Elisa Sebastian, who died in April 2021..

Eliza was found unconscious in her bedroom at St Aubyn's Center in Colchester.

The 16-year-old girl was expected to receive one-on-one care but an investigation revealed the Oxevision public address system linked to her bedroom was switched off and she was left alone for 28 minutes.

The coroner was told that EPUT had made changes to the public address system.

Oxevision is a remote monitoring system that the makers say has been used in half of all NHS mental health facilities in England providing inpatient care.

Infrared cameras installed in patients' bedrooms can monitor their heart rate, detecting “microredness” of the skin invisible to the naked eye, as well as their breathing rate due to the rise and fall of the patient's chest.

The camera can also take pictures and provide up to 15 seconds of clear video.

Alerts and alerts were to be sent to staff on their computers and tablets in the event of an emergency.

In a statement following the inquiry, the campaign group, made up of former and current NHS patients, Stop Oxevisionsaid the system caused serious damage.

Their spokesman Hat Porter called it a “shallow quick fix to broader systemic problems” and said many patients' experiences with the technology were “intrusive, degrading, dehumanizing and traumatizing.”

Their study raised concerns including significant invasions of privacy, the impact of technology on patient health and recovery, and staffing issues.

Stop Oxevision is due to appear at the Lampard inquest on Tuesday in pre-recorded evidence.

Laura Cozens of LIO, the company formerly Oxehealth that created Oxevision, said that “the platform may not be suitable for everyone – and we understand that.”

When asked by Mr Griffin KS: “Do you agree that filming a patient 24 hours a day is a very serious invasion of privacy?”, Ms Cozens replied: “Perhaps yes.”

Ms Cozens added that it was important that the use of the technology was properly communicated to patients and that it had played a crucial role in preventing serious incidents, including falls, on the dementia ward.

She cited 1,774 cases where staff were helped to respond to situations where patients might otherwise have suffered serious harm, adding that the system had helped free up staff time from paperwork.

An EPUT spokesman said the trust was using Oxevision “to support our staff to improve care for patients on our wards”.

“This is always done in conjunction with clear clinical assessment and consent from our patients.”

“Their safety, care and recovery are our number one priority,” the spokesperson added.

A representative from the trust is due to appear at the Lampard inquiry on Tuesday.