CW: sensitive content, mental health, death
We welcome news that the Lampard Inquiry is now asking witnesses about autism and considering the adequacy of adjustments made to the care received by autistic people.
We’ve been making the case to the Inquiry since July 2024 that it’s vital to understand how many autistic people were among the 2000+ mental health deaths in Essex. It’s possible – and we’d argue likely – that failings in the care of autistic people played a significant role in far more of these deaths than autism prevalence would suggest. In other words, we think autistic people will be over-represented among those who died.
What’s more, we believe that failings behind those deaths will not be unique to Essex, so this Inquiry has wide-ranging implications and the potential to save lives countrywide. Baroness Lampard herself indicated that she expects to make national recommendations, helping to ensure improvements to mental healthcare across the whole country.
We applaud the efforts of all those who have campaigned for this Inquiry and advocated for the loved ones they lost. Today, we recognise the efforts of Julia Caro (pictured right with her son Chris) and Lisa Wolff (pictured left with daughter Abbi). Both Chris and Abbi died within the remit of the Inquiry and are much missed. Julia has long campaigned for this Inquiry, and Lisa recently raised awareness among policymakers by speaking at our Parliamentary event in February 2025. We will continue to work with them and others to ensure the Inquiry leads to positive change for autistic people accessing mental health services.
Read more about this via the Lampard Inquiry website: https://lampardinquiry.org.uk/key-documents/lampard-inquiry-disclosure-update-march-2025/
