Mr Trent was asked about three inquests where the use of Oxevision had been highlighted – the deaths of Michael Nolan and Morgan Rose-Hart, who died in 2022, and 16-year-old Elise Sebastian, who died in April 2021.
Mr Griffin asked if there was a danger of “alarm fatigue” for staff, turning off or ignoring alerts from the Oxevision system.
In Elise Sebastian’s case – who was found unresponsive in her bedroom at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester – she was supposed to receive one-to-one care, but an inquest heard the Oxevision system had been muted by staff and she was left alone for 28 minutes.
Mr Trent told the inquiry there had been mechanisms in place to ensure staff adhered to policies, “but they clearly did not prevent these tragic events”.
“The trust accepts that it should have done better… [and made sure] that staff were fully compliant with the policies and procedures that were there,” he said.
But Mr Trent said that many new technologies were “in the best interests of patients”.
“The government have been clear with their 10-year plan for health they want to see a change from analogue to digital,” Mr Trent said.
But he admitted that some technologies were “more controversial than others”.
Mr Trent also reiterated an apology from EPUT to bereaved families who had lost loved ones under mental health services in Essex.