Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust inquiry: What families need to know

No inquiry can undo the pain of losing someone you love. However, for families who have spent years looking for answers, having the chance to understand exactly what happened can be incredibly important. 

On 11 December 2025, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, announced a statutory public inquiry into deaths of mental health patients at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. The Government highlighted concerns about the number of deaths and the transparency around some incidents. 

The inquiry follows years of concerns about the Trust. The cases that highlighted these concerns involved 17-year-olds Christie Harnett, Nadia Sharif and Emily Moore, who all unfortunately passed away while receiving care from the Trust. An independent investigation into their care was published in November 2022. It identified 119 problems with care and service delivery. Other reviews have since considered wider concerns, including governance and whether enough had changed following earlier investigations. 

This inquiry is important because it can look beyond individual cases. It can examine whether there were wider failings in patient safety such as staffing or leadership. The inquiry will also look at risk management and the way concerns were handled. 

For families, this could be an important opportunity to have their experiences heard and help establish what went wrong. 

We know that waiting for answers can be painful, particularly when you have already spent years trying to understand what happened. The inquiry is in its early stages. In June 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that work to establish the inquiry had begun and an Inquiry Secretary was in post. The Government expected the Chair to be announced soon. Once appointed, the Chair will have an important role in setting the Terms of Reference. These will determine the scope of what the inquiry investigates.  

 This means the inquiry is happening, even though a timeline hasn’t been confirmed yet. While inquiries can take time to begin, families don’t need to wait for hearings to begin before seeking legal advice. The early stages of an inquiry can be important, especially when decisions are being made about its scope and who should take part.  

Getting involved in an inquiry can feel daunting. You may want answers, while also having difficulty revisiting what happened. If you or someone you love was treated by the Trust, you may have information that could be important to the inquiry. This information could help create change throughout the system. 

Getting involved at an early stage also means you may be able to apply to become a Core Participant. A Core Participant is someone with a significant interest in the matters being investigated. The Chair decides who is given this status. 

Depending on the inquiry‘’s rules and directions, Core Participants can have important rights, including access to relevant evidence and a role in questioning witnesses. 

Our specialist inquiries team, Nicola Ryan-Donnelly and Katie Rutter can:  

• Advise you on the public inquiry and your potential role in it, including Core Participant status 
• Help you understand the evidence and prepare to give evidence yourself 
• Identify the issues that matter most to you 
• Question witnesses on those issues, where appropriate 
• Assess whether you also have a separate medical negligence claim 

When navigating legal processes, it can be difficult to know where your situation falls; under a medical negligence claim, or as part of an inquiry like this. The simple answer is that it can be both. While you are always able to choose how you want your rights to be fought for, you don’t have to choose one or the other in cases like this.  

While you might know something was wrong with the care you received from medical professionals, it’s not always as straightforward to know if you should be part of an inquiry.  

A public inquiry looks at what happened and why. It can examine wider failings and make recommendations for change. A medical negligence claim is different. These claims are brought by people who believe negligent medical treatment caused them, or someone they loved harm. A successful medical negligence claim may result in compensation. 

Taking part in the inquiry doesn’t automatically prevent you from bringing a medical negligence claim. However, the two processes have different legal rules and purposes. There can also be strict time limits for medical negligence claims. 

Knowing something is wrong but not knowing who to go to for help is an incredibly frustrating position to be in. If you have lost someone you love or have been harmed while receiving mental health treatment, you may already be dealing with grief and unanswered questions. You don’t have to navigate a complex legal process alone. 

Our specialist inquiries team can advise you about the public inquiry and your potential role in it, including Core Participant status. We can help you understand the evidence and prepare to give evidence yourself. We can also help identify the issues that matter most to you. Where appropriate, our lawyers can also question witnesses on those issues. As a firm we can also assess if you have a separate medical negligence claim and support you through this.  

Our role isn’t simply to explain the law. It is to listen to you. We are here to help you understand what happened and support you and your family to navigate the legal process. 

Importantly, there’s no cost to you for our representation in the inquiry. Our costs are recovered directly from the inquiry, subject to its funding arrangements and approved costs. 

If you or someone you love has been affected by care from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, we can help you understand your legal rights and what you can do next. Contact our team today.