Healthwatch Norfolk: Is it any use?

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis, Section 75 / By

We have resisted criticising Healthwatch Norfolk, in large part out of respect for its Chairman, who was an outstanding Norfolk Coroner who never hesitated to hold Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to public account. But, enough is enough. Today, Healthwatch Norfolk had a stall at the Forum in Norwich, with expensively-branded pencils, rubbers,

Healthwatch Norfolk: Is it any use? Read More »

In the cells: Breach of human rights so common that Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies have a standard complaint letter

3 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

It is happening again this weekend. No beds. No accountability. No responsibility. Norman Lamb claims to be a champion of the mentally ill with his self-promotional but resourceless gimmicks such as sponsored bike rides, the Cashless Concordat and ‘parity of esteem‘. The truth is that mental health services have been cut in real terms while

In the cells: Breach of human rights so common that Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies have a standard complaint letter Read More »

25th September 2014: Cardboard City Protest at HealthEast CCG meeting deciding the fate of Carlton Court

9 Comments / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Crisis Team Crisis, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (HealthEast) is making its decision about Carlton Court on Thursday 25th September, 2014. The meeting starts at 1.30 p.m. but we’ll be holding a demonstration beforehand from 1 p.m – the theme is lack of beds, so bring along a big cardboard box and a sleeping bag for

25th September 2014: Cardboard City Protest at HealthEast CCG meeting deciding the fate of Carlton Court Read More »

What’s happening at Carlton Court? How different is it to what NSFT proposed and the public opposed?

4 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, s136 Crisis / By

Great Yarmouth & Waveney CCG (HealthEast) has set out recommendations this week for the future of mental health services after its public consultation. We are grateful to HealthEast for being the only one of Norfolk’s five clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to hold a public consultation. Let’s look at the facts: Acute adult services at Carlton

What’s happening at Carlton Court? How different is it to what NSFT proposed and the public opposed? Read More »

Community Care: Why I’m retiring from social work to fight the cuts damaging our service’

3 Comments / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Section 75 / By

Click the image below to read Terry Skyrme’s letter in Community Care, explaining why he has decided to retire from the mental health frontline to fight the damaging cuts to services.

Community Care: Why I’m retiring from social work to fight the cuts damaging our service’ Read More »

BBC: Campaign hero Terry Skyrme interviewed about crisis and retirement

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, Recruitment Crisis / By

Nic Rigby reports: Terry Skyrme said when he joined the mental health service in Norfolk, the county had one of the best outreach teams (working with people with mental health) in the country. Mr Skyrme, 68, who has been a social worker since 1972, said he was once proud of the “fantastic” service provided by

BBC: Campaign hero Terry Skyrme interviewed about crisis and retirement Read More »

EDP: Concern over £16m temporary staffing bill for Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust

1 Comment / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis / By

“Emma Corlett, NSFT Unison media spokesperson, who is also a mental health nurse in Norwich, said the cuts to local services had proved to be a “false economy.” She added that the trust continued to spend large sums of money on temporary staffing costs, which amounted to £2.39m in August and more than £8m for the

EDP: Concern over £16m temporary staffing bill for Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust Read More »

Lowestoft Journal: Demonstrators gather outside Carlton Court to protest at mental health cuts

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

Kathryn Bradley of the Lowestoft Journal reports: The group was cheered on by visitors and staff entering the hospital grounds. During the event, Mr Skyrme said NSFT was also proposing to cut Section 136 suites at Carlton Court and throughout Norfolk and replace them with a single unit at Hellesdon. The suites are used to assess

Lowestoft Journal: Demonstrators gather outside Carlton Court to protest at mental health cuts Read More »

Gallery: Carlton Court demonstration Saturday 13th September 2014

2 Comments / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, s136 Crisis / By

Mental health services across Norfolk and Suffolk need more beds not fewer. The people of Waveney need a local hospital, section 136 suite and crisis team. Many of the people who use Carlton Court are not local but come from across Norfolk and Suffolk. We cannot allow the destruction of an integrated mental health care system and

Gallery: Carlton Court demonstration Saturday 13th September 2014 Read More »

Saturday 13th September: Demonstrate to Save Carlton Court

2 Comments / Bed Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

Mental health services across Norfolk and Suffolk need more beds not fewer. The people of Waveney need a local hospital, section 136 suite and crisis team. Many of the people who use Carlton Court are not local but come from across Norfolk and Suffolk. We cannot allow the destruction of an integrated mental health care

Saturday 13th September: Demonstrate to Save Carlton Court Read More »

Video: Channel 4 News – Mental health: too many patients, not enough beds

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

Try the video contained in this link if the embedded video below doesn’t play on your phone or tablet. If that doesn’t work you’ll need to try on a computer or different device. Sorry, we don’t make the Channel 4 video player.

Video: Channel 4 News – Mental health: too many patients, not enough beds Read More »

Newsflash: Campaign on Channel 4 News tonight at seven – Mental health: too many patients, not enough beds

4 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

Beds full There have been times in the past couple of years when they have sent 30 or 40 people sometimes hundreds of miles away because their beds have been full. A new management team has recently been brought in and they have managed to reduce this to seven or eight. But when I asked

Newsflash: Campaign on Channel 4 News tonight at seven – Mental health: too many patients, not enough beds Read More »

In NSFT’s words: Bed pressure

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, HealthEast Consultation, In NSFT's words, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, s136 Crisis / By

“Use of ‘red leave’ bed’s to manage patients locally, meaning using beds deemed to be held for patients considered to be potentially at risk by inpatient teams. Increased demands on staffing to manage high turnover of service users as well as protracted time periods required to manage applications for OOA placements as well as transport issues. OOA placement usage, this provides financial pressures and risk as well as quality risk. Extended

In NSFT’s words: Bed pressure Read More »

BBC: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust funding concerns

3 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis, s136 Crisis / By

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: A mental health trust covering an area where care minister Norman Lamb is MP has warned it is struggling to provide a “safe and effective” service. Gary Page, chair of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said “fundamental” changes were needed. Mr Page told the BBC: “We welcome the

BBC: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust funding concerns Read More »

EDP: New chief’s pledge to open new mental health beds in Norwich

8 Comments / Bed Crisis, Financial crisis, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, s136 Crisis / By

At last, after a year of campaigning, Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has finally acknowledged that the ‘so-called bed crisis’ is a real bed crisis and that beds can be opened as well as closed.  Thank you, Michael Scott, Chief Executive of NSFT for starting to listen to us! “[Michael Scott] told members

EDP: New chief’s pledge to open new mental health beds in Norwich Read More »

BBC Radio Norfolk: Campaigners Emma Corlett and Terry Skyrme outline the crisis at NSFT and likely impact of Carlton Court closure. Duplicitous Norman Lamb pretends to be in opposition again

6 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, Press, s136 Crisis, Section 75 / By

Listen below to Norman Lamb yet again pretend that he is in opposition rather than the Minister of State at the Department of Health directly responsible for mental health. Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), Norman Lamb’s own local mental health trust, is in constant crisis and heading towards financial collapse. Yet, unbelievably, Norman Lamb

BBC Radio Norfolk: Campaigners Emma Corlett and Terry Skyrme outline the crisis at NSFT and likely impact of Carlton Court closure. Duplicitous Norman Lamb pretends to be in opposition again Read More »

BBC Norfolk and Suffolk mental health bed cuts criticised

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, HealthEast Consultation, NSFT Cuts, s136 Crisis / By

A spokesman for the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Suffolk and Norfolk said: “The campaign is very concerned about the loss of the 136 suite which provides a vital place of safety for people who are some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. “With regards to the reduction in mental health

BBC Norfolk and Suffolk mental health bed cuts criticised Read More »

Financial crisis: EDP ‘It can not go on’ – CEO’s warning on mental health funding

8 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Michael Scott, who took over as boss of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) earlier this year, said his organisation was already around £1m in deficit for the current financial year and the way mental health services were funded could not carry on. It is great news that Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Financial crisis: EDP ‘It can not go on’ – CEO’s warning on mental health funding Read More »

mummabearuk: A CAMHS carer responds to Norman Lamb’s ‘taskforce’

4 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press / By

Anne, a CAMHS carer and campaign supporter, writes: “So now the press embargo has been lifted I can write about Norman Lamb’s Task Force which has been announced in today’s media. So he’s finally decided that children and young people’s mental health services need improving – has he really only just thought of this! If

mummabearuk: A CAMHS carer responds to Norman Lamb’s ‘taskforce’ Read More »

Scroll to Top