The Independent: Mental-health patients driven hundreds of miles for treatment

Charlie Cooper writes in The Independent: A crisis in mental health care has been declared by NHS staff in East Anglia, across a region covering the constituencies of two government health ministers. Nurses say that it has become common for there to be no beds available for mental health patients in all of Norfolk and […]

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Newsflash: Tomorrow’s Sunday Times includes mental health crisis at NSFT

Introduction to ‘Patient forced to sleep in lounge’ by James Gillespie: A MENTAL health patient who was admitted to hospital last week had to sleep in a lounge after staff could not find a bed within 180 miles. Staff at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) refer to such cases as “admission to

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National mental health conference: Call for speakers and papers

This summer we are planning a public meeting and conference on cuts to mental health services and the national bed and community care crises. We would like to share what we have learnt and learn from others nationwide. We welcome all relevant contributions, offers of assistance, donations and sponsorship. If you have any topics you

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Downfall 2: The Trust (NSFT) Strikes Back

Watch the video below. If you are an Apple user and have trouble viewing the embedded video you can view it directly on Youtube. Sorry, this issue is a sometime side effect of the on-going war between Google and Apple which is beyond our control. If you don’t understand why this Downfall parody is satirical humour read this.

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NSFT – A Warning from History: February 2013 EDP – Concerns for patients as 500 mental health jobs face axe in Norfolk and Suffolk

This is an example of how the Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) Board, NSFT governors, Norfolk and Suffolk clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local MP and responsible minister, Norman Lamb, were warned of the largely predictable consequences of the ‘radical redesign’. Those who questioned whether the Operations Director’s ‘improvements’ would work safely were

NSFT – A Warning from History: February 2013 EDP – Concerns for patients as 500 mental health jobs face axe in Norfolk and Suffolk Read More »

Appeal: TV journalists need our help on Monday or Tuesday of next week

TV journalists would like to talk to both a carer/family and someone who uses or has tried to use services provided by Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). They are professional and we can support you in dealing with the media and ensuring your privacy and wishes are respected. They want to discuss any

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BBC Radio 4 Today: Michael Buchanan reports on the beds crisis and Norman Lamb blames everyone except himself

We’re proud to have helped Michael Buchanan of the BBC and Andy McNicoll of Community Care in their excellent work exposing the scandalous bed crisis on the national stage. Even this year at the HealthEast consultations, the Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) Operations Director continued to push for approval of the bed closures

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Tribe PR: Is NSFT’s ‘radical redesign’ the Turkey Twizzler of mental healthcare?

  Campaign supporters have told us that Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has appointed Tribe PR and Andrew Stronach Communications to help it with its PR at a cost of thousands of pounds even though NSFT has its own Communications Team. The Tribe PR website outlines the company’s skills in ‘crisis management’ as

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Downfall video: NSFT leadership team in the Hellesdon Hospital bunker

Watch the video below. If you are an Apple user and have trouble viewing the embedded video you can view it directly on Youtube. Sorry, this issue is a sometime side effect of the on-going war between Google and Apple which is beyond our control. If you don’t understand why this Downfall parody is satirical humour read this.

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BBC: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health patients sent away for treatment

Terry Skyrme, from the trust’s crisis team, said cutting staff and closing beds could put patients at risk. He said the trust had nearly 300 unallocated cases and keeping up with demand with fewer staff creates pressures. Mr Skyrme said: “Norwich patients are being sent for treatment to King’s Lynn or Great Yarmouth. “Others are

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BBC Radio Norfolk: Campaigner Terry Skyrme tells the truth as Jonathon Fagge of Norwich CCG and Kathy Chapman of NSFT admit they have failed to eliminate out-of-area beds and have broken their promises

Remember this? Four months ago, Mark Taylor, chief executive of North Norfolk CCG, on behalf of all the central Norfolk CCGs, promised: “Although the numbers are small, we want it to end by April. As commissioners we do not want people to go out of area and we want to stop that as soon as

BBC Radio Norfolk: Campaigner Terry Skyrme tells the truth as Jonathon Fagge of Norwich CCG and Kathy Chapman of NSFT admit they have failed to eliminate out-of-area beds and have broken their promises Read More »

Community Care: Mental health staff consider industrial action over ‘serious safety concerns’ with crisis care

“Union members at the mental health trust serving care minister Norman Lamb’s north Norfolk constituency could be balloted on taking industrial action in protest at ‘serious safety concerns’ with services. The Unison branch at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust voted unanimously to start the process of holding a ballot for industrial action after Approved

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Unison: Approved mental health practioners (AMHPs) call for urgent action on beds and ballot for industrial action at NSFT

As we predicted earlier this week, frustrated AMHPs at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) have called in the union. Unison today announced: Norfolk based Approved mental health practitioners (AMHPs) employed by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust TODAY met to discuss the ongoing bed crisis. The meeting, called by UNISON, heard from AMHPs

Unison: Approved mental health practioners (AMHPs) call for urgent action on beds and ballot for industrial action at NSFT Read More »

BBC Radio Norfolk: NSFT crisis in mental health services dominates morning schedule

  Click the images below to listen on iPlayer to the two morning shows featuring the crisis in mental health services at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT):    

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Carlton Court: NSFT’s much-vaunted alternative-to-admission arrangements break down

A campaign member on the coast tells us: “The alternative-to-admission arrangements for Laurel and Larkspur wards at Carlton Court have broken down. The residential home at Hopton has apparently lost three managers. Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has withdrawn the arrangement to have six beds with only two patients left awaiting removal .

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EDP: Concern over pressure on mental health staff in Norfolk because of high caseloads

Yesterday, a few of the truths told by this campaign emerged at the NSFT Board meeting in Norwich, as reported in the EDP: “Mental health chiefs have insisted they have a plan to tackle high caseloads after it emerged that almost 400 patients in Norfolk were waiting to be assigned to a community worker… This

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Forthcoming Events: Including deadline for HealthEast consultation @ 5 p.m. Thursday 24 April

Whatever Mr. Page, the Chair of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), tries to claim in the EDP, the crisis in mental health services deepens, with: hundreds of people who use services without a care coordinator between twenty and thirty people in beds beyond Norfolk & Suffolk at any one time crisis teams overwhelmed

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36th Day of Lent: Going without enough beds

Last week, there were 21 patients placed beyond Norfolk & Suffolk by Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). That means as far away as Bradford, Weston-Super-Mare, Hastings, Dorking, or London. These are not ‘specialist placements’ but patients who could be treated on an open acute ward, such as Waveney Ward, Glaven Ward , or the now-closed Thurne Ward

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John Lister: Meltdown in Mental Health

John Lister is a respected journalist, academic and director of Health Emergency. In his monthly column in the Morning Star, John looks at on the Meltdown in mental health services and focuses on Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) in particular. It is an excellent article, even if you wouldn’t normally read the Morning

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