A watchdog and campaigners have expressed their concerns following an NHS mental health trust's update on unaccounted deaths.

Representatives from Suffolk & North East Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and both Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in Norfolk & Waveney joined councillors from Suffolk county council's health scrutiny committee to provide an update on their actions since the Grant Thornton report.

The report was published in June 2023 and concluded that there were problems in the way NSFT monitored and recorded the deaths of inpatients and those in the community.

It also revealed that out of 11,379 deaths of people in contact with the trust over five years, the number which could have been deemed avoidable was unclear.

At the time, however, the trust pointed out most deaths did not relate to poor care, but included natural causes.

Since then, the representatives said the trust introduced a new system which addressed many of the recommendations included in the Grant Thornton report.

Andrew Kelso, medical director at the Suffolk & North East Essex ICB, said the new system ensured continuous learning.

He added: "We haven't just invested in electronic systems, we have also invested in the people that have to run it and use it. Learning from deaths extends long beyond preventing suicide and into other causes of death as well."

The new system includes a list which holds data on all patient deaths that have occurred during care at NSFT, or within six months of discharge, and a dashboard displaying patient data.

The trust has also established a new Learning from Deaths Action Plan Management Group replacing the board set up following the report.

Gary O'Hare, who represented the NSFT, said: "This won't be that we've completed the Grant Thornton action plan, put it on a shelf and forget about it, it's about continuous learning and quality improvement.

"When we look back, sorry, this isn't enough, it will never bring a loved one back, so we have to think about how we go forward. We can't guarantee we will prevent all deaths going forward but we will prevent as many as we possibly can."

However, Andy Yacoub, Healthwatch Suffolk CEO, said the watchdog was still extremely concerned about how the review process had been carried out, including the employment of the report's recommendations.

He added: "The way that this process has been carried out to date has often destroyed trust, created reputational and significant financial cost and hurt all who are involved. There is a vital need for independence and transparency."

Mr Yacoub also went on to say that the trust's new system continued to sideline the lived experiences of those affected by its failings.