The public inquiry into care at a troubled mental health trust is due to begin on Monday.
Retired judge John Potter, who will chair the inquiry into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV), said his first priority was to “meet and listen to those affected”. As previously reported, the organisation has come under intense scrutiny in recent years over its management of cases including the deaths of three teenage girls in 2019 and 2020.
In December 2025, then-Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a statutory public inquiry into mental health services at the trust and this will begin on Monday. In its latest announcement, the Government said the inquiry is aimed at establishing what happened in “serious failings” in mental health care at TEWV, why they occurred and what needs to change.
The chair is a retired circuit judge and former deputy judge of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, with more than 40 years’ experience. He said: “I am conscious of the responsibility that comes with this role and of the experiences of the patients, families and others affected by the matters the Inquiry will examine.
“My first priority will be to meet and listen to those affected. Their voices and experiences will be central to the inquiry’s work and will help inform the development of its Terms of Reference.
“The inquiry will approach its task independently, thoroughly and fairly, and with respect for everyone who takes part. I will work with the inquiry team to put the necessary arrangements in place so that our work can begin as promptly as proper preparation allows.”
Christie Harnett, Nadia Sharif and Emily Moore were all diagnosed with complex mental health needs and had been patients at TEWV’s West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough. It was at the hospital, in Acklam Road, that 17-year-olds Christie, of Newton Aycliffe, and Nadia, who grew up in Middlesbrough, took their own lives just six weeks apart in June and August 2019.
Emily died after she was found unresponsive in Lanchester Road Hospital, Durham, in an adult ward where the 18-year-old was moved to from West Lane Hospital just 11 days before in February 2020. West Lane was closed following the deaths.
West Lane Hospital, which was operated by Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, was closed by inspectors (Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)
The Department of Health and Social Care said it has been working with patients, survivors and families to help shape its approach to the public inquiry. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Yvette Cooper, said: “The families who were let down by the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust have suffered immeasurable pain.
“Judge Potter has been asked to deliver a comprehensive report into why and how things went so wrong across the trust’s mental health services, and what changes must be made.”
When the public inquiry was announced in December, the chief executive of TEWV Alison Smith, said they will “fully support the process with transparency, openness and humility.” She added: “Above all, we are committed to listening, reflecting, and taking meaningful action to ensure that we continually improve as an organisation.”
Law firm Ison Harrison, which represents hundreds of patients and bereaved families affected by failings at the trust, welcomed the news of the appointment of the chair. The firm said many families have been frustrated at the delay in commencing the next stage of the inquiry.
Sarah Magson, partner at Ison Harrison, said: “Many of our clients have spent years seeking answers about the care their loved ones received, and the lack of progress since the Inquiry was announced has been extremely difficult. We also urge any existing patients who have been affected to contact us so we can provide them with the advice and support that they need.”
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