'Appalling' inquest delays hurt families
The Lampard Inquiry is examining the deaths of more than 2,000 mental health patients who died under NHS care in Essex between 2000 and 2023.
Fiona Murphy KC told the hearing "institutional defensiveness" by health providers was hindering inquests and preventing families from getting closure.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has apologised to those affected.
The public inquiry is England's first into mental health deaths, with evidence being heard in London after previous sessions in September and November.
Ms Murphy told of the "horrendous" experiences that families she represented had during their loved ones' inquests.
She said there had been an "extraordinary and shocking number of deaths" in inpatient units in Essex.
"The families' experience has been...the death of loved ones falling under the radar and of distressing and at times appalling delays," she said.
The solicitor accused EPUT of knowingly disrupting inquest proceedings by being defensive.
This included "unreasonably disputing" the relevance of an inquest, failing to provide evidence and delaying its disclosure.
Ms Murphy said: "There has also been shameful misrepresentation that lessons have been learned when they have not.
"These defensive behaviours cause real harm.
"They cause the retraumatisation of grieving families, they obstruct the truth, they obstruct lesson learning and they act as a fundamental bar and barrier to change."
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An inquest is a legal investigation into a death which appears to be due to unknown, violent or unnatural causes.
Coroners can hold an Article 2 inquest when the person's death occurred while they were under state care.
Ms Murphy said they had the potential to deliver "real meaning" for families, as well as change.
However, she claimed a "systematic collapse of acceptable service delivery in Essex" was "undermining" this potential.
EPUT chief executive Paul Scott has apologised for deaths under his trust's care.
He said: "As the inquiry progresses, there will be many accounts of people who were much loved and missed over the past 24 years and I want to say how sorry I am for their loss."
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
What is the Lampard Inquiry and what could it change?
Mental health inquiry chair vows to 'seek out' truth
Mum says son died in 'hell on Earth' facility
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