Invitation to our Anniversary Open Meeting on Thursday 27th November, 7.30-9.30 p.m. Vauxhall Centre, Norwich NR2 2SA

INVITATION TO OUR ANNIVERSARY OPEN MEETING ON THURSDAY 27TH NOVEMBER, 7.30-9.30 PM VAUXHALL CENTRE, NORWICH NR2 2SA Dear all, Our Campaign started a year ago this month when mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk first reached crisis point. The ‘Nicholson Challenge’ imposed £20 billion cost savings on all NHS Trusts. As a result, Norfolk & […]

Invitation to our Anniversary Open Meeting on Thursday 27th November, 7.30-9.30 p.m. Vauxhall Centre, Norwich NR2 2SA Read More »

BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health cuts ‘devastating’, campaigners say

Funding cuts in Norfolk and Suffolk show the government is failing to put mental and physical health on an equal footing, campaigners say. Mainstream hospitals in the two counties have seen budgets rise by 15% since 2010, while mental health service funding has fallen by 3%. The Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk

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Lobby South Norfolk CCG: The Chart which shames Norman Lamb and the Seven CCGs (and the NSFT Board too)

The chart below details the changes in the funding provided to Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and the local acute NHS Trusts by the seven Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Norfolk and Suffolk. While Norman Lamb, North Norfolk MP and the Secretary of State at the Department of Health directly responsible for mental

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BBC News: Mental health ‘starved of resources’, says former coroner

Well said, William Armstrong, Chairman of Healthwatch, former Norfolk Coroner and current Sheriff of Norwich: Mental health services are being “starved of resources”, the chairman of a health watchdog in Norfolk has said. Ex-coroner William Armstrong, of Healthwatch Norfolk, said cuts meant “more misery” for patients and their families. He said he had seen a

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Audio: NSFT Deputy Director of Nursing tries to resolve ‘dire’ Waveney strike staffing crisis by ringing wrong person

Listen as the Deputy Director of Nursing at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), Michelle Allott, mistakenly rings a campaign supporter who left NSFT more than a year ago as she attempts to resolve a ‘dire’ crisis as ward and CRHT staff at Carlton Court wholeheartedly support the NHS strike:  

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Campaign response to HealthEast decision to close beds at Carlton Court

Here is our response to Andy Evans, Chief Executive of Great Yarmouth & Waveney CCG (HealthEast), following the disastrous decision to close beds at Carlton Court: Mr Andy Evans Great Yarmouth & Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group Beccles House 1 Common Lane North Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9BN 1 October 2014 Dear Mr. Evans, Following your disastrous

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

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

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Exclusive: Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) plans to cut more than 438 posts in only two years

We have been passed a copy of the Operational Plan 2014-16 of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and its contents are shocking. In the 2013-14 financial year, mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk were already in deep crisis and this campaign was founded as a result. Yet the Operational Plan submitted to

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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BBC News: Assessment suite closures concern for mental health in Norfolk and Suffolk

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: Concerns over plans to centralise Norfolk mental health assessment suites in Norwich have been raised by a police commissioner and a union. Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the suites, has started consulting staff on the proposal, the BBC understands. People are brought to the suites, often

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EDP: Health watchdog urges mental health trust to improve community services in Norfolk and Suffolk

Award-winning Health Correspondent Adam Gretton of the EDP reports: Officials from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), said the mental health trust for Norfolk and Suffolk had high numbers of “worse than expected” results from the survey, which was conducted by the health watchdog earlier this year. More than 250 patients using community services at NSFT

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BBC: Campaign hero Terry Skyrme interviewed about crisis and retirement

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

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

“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

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

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

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BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health unit waits of 22 hours ‘not acceptable’

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: Patients having to wait up to 22 hours in mental health assessment suites in Norfolk and Suffolk is “unacceptable”, leading experts have said. A BBC Freedom of Information request found that between January and July, seven patients had to wait more than 15 hours and three more than 20.

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Gallery: Carlton Court demonstration Saturday 13th September 2014

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

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Saturday 13th September: Demonstrate to Save Carlton Court

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

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In NSFT’s words: Bed pressure

“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

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