We write to express caution about the continued use of Oxevision in inpatient settings. 

Currently, increasing numbers of psychiatric hospitals in England use Oxevision — a patient monitoring system consisting of an infrared sensor and camera —in all patient bedrooms, thus enforcing blanket, 24-hour surveillance without ongoing informed consent and individualised risk assessments. Oxevision, and its surveillance methods, are being promoted as part of the NHS Innovation Accelerator, the same programme that supported the Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM) scheme — a coercive health care intervention which involves embedding police officers within mental health teams and promoting coercive practices such as withholding treatments and threatening legal sanctions

While balancing a patient's privacy and dignity with their safety is undoubtedly a challenge, surveillance is a restrictive practice and its use demands serious scrutiny. The use of blanket surveillance in this instance risks retraumatising patients who may have experienced trauma related to surveillance, compromises patient privacy and lacks clarity in relation to the use of footage and technology. Oxevision must not be used in place of sufficient staffing to benefit staff rather than to improve patient care, and consent needs to be specific, individual, informed and ongoing. 

We call on NHS England and individual mental health trusts to halt rollout of Oxevision whilst an independent review is conducted into the legality and potential risks associated with use of surveillance technology within psychiatric inpatient settings.  

Read the full letter here

StopOxevision links and resources:

StopOxevision website

StopOxevision Twitter

StopOxevision Google Drive (Freedom on Information request documentation)
Oxevision Trust usage mapping document