Community Care: ‘It feels like some lives are worth more than others’: working on the mental health frontline

Emma Corlett writes in Community Care (trigger alert). “As I say, some lives it seems are worth more than others. Where has the humanity gone? It’s a damning indictment of our society and the state of our services that the local shopping centre has now erected safety hoardings to prevent similar incidents. I have no words.” […]

Community Care: ‘It feels like some lives are worth more than others’: working on the mental health frontline Read More »

You never know when it will be you: Join us at the protest tomorrow because you’re lucky to be able to

We’re speaking up for the voiceless and the vulnerable. Here’s an email we received yesterday from a campaign member who regularly attends our meetings and was at our last protest at Hellesdon Hospital. They rely on mental health services, as at least one in four of us will do during our lives: currently in [redacted

You never know when it will be you: Join us at the protest tomorrow because you’re lucky to be able to Read More »

Campaign response to intimidating email from Messrs. Page & Hopkins of NSFT

“Sadly, it is necessary to comment upon the recent email from Mr Page, NSFT Chair, to all NSFT staff. Firstly, we are not a Unison campaign. Unison has no representative on the committee and, although we have received a donation from Unison for which we are most grateful, we have received significant sums from individuals

Campaign response to intimidating email from Messrs. Page & Hopkins of NSFT Read More »

Video: itv NEWS Anglia – Full story and interviews with David Walter, Terry Skyrme, Emma Corlett, Norman Lamb and Andrew Hopkins

Click the image below to watch the videos about Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), including interviews with NSFT patient David Walter, NSFT social worker Terry Skyrme and NSFT nurse Emma Corlett. You will need to scroll down the page to the two video clips. NSFT has repeatedly dismissed and ignored warnings through all

Video: itv NEWS Anglia – Full story and interviews with David Walter, Terry Skyrme, Emma Corlett, Norman Lamb and Andrew Hopkins Read More »

Video: Crisis at NSFT leads the itv NEWS Anglia this lunchtime

The crisis in mental health services at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) led the itv NEWS Anglia at lunchtime today. Campaign member and NSFT patient David Walter talks about how the campaign is addressing life and death issues and how mental health services can help people have a life worth living. There will

Video: Crisis at NSFT leads the itv NEWS Anglia this lunchtime Read More »

Video: Mental health crisis at NSFT on Good Morning Britain

There will be more on itv NEWS Anglia throughout the day. This snippet about the crisis in mental health services at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust was shown on Good Morning Britain this morning. Watch the video below. If you are an Apple user and have trouble viewing the embedded video you can view it directly

Video: Mental health crisis at NSFT on Good Morning Britain Read More »

itv NEWS ANGLIA: Trust facing more criticism

Watch itv NEWS ANGLIA today for more on the worsening crisis at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). Staff and patients have criticised the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, saying it’s too difficult for people with mental illnesses to get access to care. The trust has to make £40 million worth of savings

itv NEWS ANGLIA: Trust facing more criticism Read More »

Jonathon Fagge’s blog on reducing wages and skills in the NHS: Withering response from campaign supporter Tracey Lambert of Unison

UPDATE: NORWICH CCG HAS DECIDED TO DELETE THE FOI RESPONSE WHICH DETAILED HOW MUCH THE GOVERNING BODY EARNS FROM NORWICH CCG WEBSITE. DON’T WORRY THOUGH, IN THE INTEREST OF NHS TRANSPARENCY WE KEPT A COPY WHICH YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO READ. We’ve written about Jonathon Fagge, the £115,000 per annum Chief Executive of Norwich

Jonathon Fagge’s blog on reducing wages and skills in the NHS: Withering response from campaign supporter Tracey Lambert of Unison Read More »

24th & 25th May: March on Norman Lamb

You can download a flyer with map as a pdf to use, distribute or print and display in your workplace, café or pub. Maps and itineraries for days one and two can be found at the end of this article. Please let you friends and colleagues know about this important event which is designed to be suitable

24th & 25th May: March on Norman Lamb Read More »

NSFT – A Warning from History: March 2013 – Unison’s submission to the Joint Norfolk & Suffolk Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Fourteen months ago, when Unison sent the letter below, the Board of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) wasn’t campaigning for fairer funding for mental health. As recently as December 2013, the current NSFT Chair, Mr. Page, was claiming that it wasn’t appropriate for the NSFT Board to question mental health funding as this

NSFT – A Warning from History: March 2013 – Unison’s submission to the Joint Norfolk & Suffolk Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee Read More »

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

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

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

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

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.

Downfall 2: The Trust (NSFT) Strikes Back Read More »

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Downfall video: NSFT leadership team in the Hellesdon Hospital bunker Read More »

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

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

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 »

Scroll to Top