An inquiry has heard there is no “strong independent evidence” that Oxevision has improved patient safety in mental health wards.
The Lampard Inquiry is examining the deaths of more than 2,000 mental health patients in Essex over a 24-year period.
It previously heard “grave concerns” about the widespread use of Oxevision, which monitors patients in their rooms using infrared sensors and cameras.
On Thursday, the inquiry heard from two experts from the University of Oxford.
They had reviewed 45 studies used to justify introducing Oxevision across the NHS.
The academics found that some studies involved Oxevision employees, while others were not extensive enough to support firm conclusions.
They said the studies did “not provide strong independent evidence of improved patient safety, acceptability or cost effectiveness”.
Oxevision tracks patients’ pulse and breathing rates and is used by 40 per cent of NHS mental health trusts.
However, one of the experts acknowledged that conducting an ideal study in a mental health ward would be challenging.
Fiona Scolding KC, speaking on behalf of Oxevision, questioned whether it was more difficult to introduce randomised controlled trials in mental health units.
Law firm Hodge Jones & Allen is representing more than 120 bereaved families at the inquiry.
Partner Nina Ali said: “What we have heard from the experts today shows that there is no clear or meaningful evidence to show that Oxevision improves patient safety or patient care.”
Campaign group Stop Oxevision has been campaigning for three years to halt its use in the NHS.
Spokesperson Hat Porter said the findings raised concerns “not only regarding this particular technology, but more broadly as well”.
They said a “lack of regulation means that a technology without any kind of robust independent evidence base can just be rolled out” widely.
Professor Christl Donnelly and Dr Maria Christodoulou of the University of Oxford said “further independent, randomised, and adequately controlled research” would be needed before stronger conclusions could be reached about Oxevision.
The inquiry will resume in October, when its chair, Baroness Lampard, will decide whether to make interim recommendations.
Hearings will continue until late 2027, with a final report expected in 2028.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust previously said: “We’re really clear that there’s more to do to ensure that the care we provide continues to improve, and the recommendations of the Lampard Inquiry will be an important part of this.”
LIO Health, which runs Oxevision, recently said: “Technology has a vital role to play in supporting safer inpatient mental health care, an area without any medical device technology until Oxevision.”
It added that its impact had been “significant”.
“In one trust alone, the technology has helped staff in responding to 1,453 safety incidents over a four-year period,” LIO Health said.
