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"As the Inquiry progresses, there will be many accounts of people who were much loved and missed over the past 24 years, and I want to say how sorry I am for their loss," Smith said.
He noted that the trust has added over 300 specialist personnel to improve therapeutic services.
"Care and staffing on our wards has been transformed... to ensure patients receive personally tailored therapeutic care to meet their individual needs," Smith added.
The inquiry's financial impact on EPUT is significant, with administrative costs expected to reach around £30 million.
"Our position is we need to spend what we need to spend to serve the inquiry," said Paul Scott, former EPUT chief executive.
Scott, who recently moved to another health trust, addressed concerns about his departure timing.
"I'm here…to assure people that I'm not running from anything," he said.
Inquiry chair Baroness Lampard noted that systemic failings in mental health inpatient care extend beyond Essex, with similar investigations elsewhere in England.
Legal counsel highlighted ongoing difficulties in tracking exact historic patient death figures over the 24-year period.
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"We are deeply troubled that we still cannot say with any certainty how many people died… and we may never have a completely accurate figure," said Rebecca Harris KC, counsel to the inquiry.
