I wasn’t given information about Oxevision until I asked what it was because I was hiding under my desk and in the bathroom because I was scared. They told me it monitored pulse and respiration rate, was to keep people safe, access video footage of the room and to be alerted to a medical emergency. I only found out much later that it also gave notifications if you were in the bathroom too long, if another person walks in to your room and that it’s not recorded and saved (so staff couldn’t go back to check if another patient went in my room when things went missing)* or that they couldn’t see the videos all the time and had to click on it.
*Editors note: Oxevision footage is recorded but automatically written over after 24-72 hours. Within this window of time staff have the option of going back through the footage and ‘clipping’ it to save it for longer, for example, to investigate an incident. [1] Oxevision cannot monitor pulse and respiration rate constantly and will not alert staff to arrhythmias. [2] Staff must log on manually to do a ‘spot check’ reading to get a pulse and respiration rate, and should be aware Oxevision “is not intended to be the sole method of checking the physical health of a subject”. [3]
Oxevision impacted my engagement with staff in different ways. There were many times there was additional engagement due to a notification on Oxevision, although I do feel it sometimes made staff more lax when it came to checks, especially at night. I also think it was often used instead of 1:1 observations or instead of engaging to try and help you manage. Instead, they would just monitor Oxevision more.
Being monitored through Oxevision massively impacted my behaviour in my room. I would only sleep under my desk or on the bathroom floor. When this began impacting my physical health and pain levels too much i began sleeping on a communal couch (the CCTV in communal areas was somehow easier to tolerate). This resulted in many situations that put me at risk including other patients attacking me, drawing on me, stealing my belongings, as well as witnessing distressing new admissions in the middle of the night. I ate in my bathroom and under my desk to avoid being seen. I had to get changed in my bathroom and didn’t feel comfortable to do things like dance or stretch in my room. Many patients also complained it made it impossible to masturbate which is a good natural release if in constant mental distress.
I was not happy about being monitored via camera. It made me feel exposed, unsafe and triggered past experiences. Sometimes it made me feel less likely to hurt myself but that wasn’t worth the negatives.
It also exacerbated my beliefs about being watched and lead to fears about ‘bad people’ or abusers being able to access the footage. It sometimes added distress when you were stuck in a situation where Oxevision should have alerted staff but they didn’t respond, as it is different than what is expected.
Long term it has meant I still don’t sleep in a bed and haven’t for 8 months. I have always been very aware of being ‘watched’ but I feel that has increased and added more anxiety. I feel like I am constantly having to ‘perform’.
Perhaps some of the notifications, like pulse and respiration rate, are useful, but visual footage not so much. Checks just need to be done appropriately.
[1] Oxehealth Data Protection Impact Assessment,
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, January 2020 [obtained by FOI request 2023]
[2] Oxehealth Vital Signs: instructions for use, July 2022 p.6 [accessed 28/1/24]
[3] Oxehealth Vital Signs: instructions for use, July 2022, p.4 [accessed 28/1/24]
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