A public inquiry into why so many mental health patients have died in Essex has been told “we may never have a definitive number of deaths”.

Opening the inquiry, its chair Baroness Lampard told relatives the number “will be significantly in excess of the 2,000 that were being considered” by a previous investigation.

She praised the “courage resilience and strength” of the families, adding that “without their dedicated and tireless campaigning it is unlikely that we would be here today”.

The Lampard Inquiry is examining the deaths of mental health patients over a 24-year period up until the end of 2023.

Before the hearing began, families placed banners and posters bearing pictures of their loved ones who died outside the building in Chelmsford where the inquiry is taking place.

They held a minute’s silence before going inside.

Melanie Leahy, whose son Matthew died, aged 20, eight days after he was sectioned and taken to a mental health unit in Essex, said: “I want to know what happened to my son.

“Those involved have had 12 years to tell the truth to me privately. Unfortunately, now it’s come to this, the public area.”

“We need to get to the bottom of what the rot has set in within the system,” she added.

A previous inquiry was abandoned because it did not have sufficient legal power to compel witnesses to give evidence.

The new public inquiry has that statutory ability, which means it’s a criminal offence for a witness to refuse to appear.

Families have long said that statutory powers have been necessary in order to hear from NHS staff who were working on the units where their loved ones died.

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Hearings are due to take place over the next two years, but Baroness Lampard has said that while the inquiry is ongoing “matters which relate to keeping people safe from harm, current threats to health or safety and any criminal offending will be communicated immediately to the relevant authorities”.

The inquiry’s recommendations will be national, with the aim of improving mental health care across the country.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.