General Election 2017: Questions for Chloe Smith, Conservatives, Norwich North

  You’ve claimed to be interested in mental health. Here are some questions for you about mental health in Norwich: Do you agree that it is a scandal that the age-adjusted three-year-rolling suicide rate, as published by the Office of National Statistics, rose by a staggering 33 per cent in Norwich between 2010-12 and 2013-15 […]

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General Election 2017: Questions for Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrats, North Norfolk

Dear Norman, You say you are the ‘mental health champion.’ So here are some questions for you about mental health in North Norfolk: Do you agree that it is a scandal that the age-adjusted three-year-rolling suicide rate, as published by the Office of National Statistics, rose by a staggering 77 per cent in North Norfolk

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General Election 2017: Questions for Brandon Lewis, Conservatives, Great Yarmouth

Dear Brandon, You say you are our ‘local champion.’ So here are some questions for you about mental health in Great Yarmouth: Do you agree that it is a scandal that the age-adjusted three-year-rolling suicide rate, as published by the Office of National Statistics, rose by a staggering 84 per cent in Great Yarmouth between

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Fixed, Flawed Farce: Part 1: ‘No decisions about me, without me’

Below is a list of the people interviewed in the so-called ‘wide range of engagement meetings with local stakeholders’ during the £58,000 Beds Review. Thirty-nine are senior employees of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). Five are commissioning bureaucrats. None are service users. None are bereaved relatives. None are carers. None are from patient

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Deaths Crisis: EDP: Norwich man suffering psychotic episode died after being restrained, inquest hears

Adam Howlett of the Eastern Daily Press reports: A man who suffered fatal injuries while under the care of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust had run out of medication to treat his schizophrenia, an inquest has heard. Neil Jewell, 42, of Philadelphia Lane, Norwich, died at Ipswich Hospital on January 17, 2014, after

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Deaths Crisis: North Norfolk News: Gresham’s School sixthformer Rebecca Haley had watched programme featuring depression and suicide before taking her own life

Geraldine Scott of Norfolk Norfolk News reports: Rebecca Haley, known to friends as Becca, died on April 30 at the boarding school in Cromer Road, Holt. Rebecca was one of a staggering twenty Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) patients to die unexpected deaths in April 2016. In the first full year of NSFT’s

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Deaths Crisis: Norfolk County Council’s Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) demands answers from NSFT

County Hall Martineau Lane Norwich Norfolk NR1 2DH Mr M Scott Chief Executive Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust Letter sent by email 9 September 2016 Dear Mr Scott Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) – unexpected deaths Thank you for attending Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (NHOSC) yesterday and presenting NSFT’s response to

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Deaths Crisis: Unexpected deaths denial continues at NSFT

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has published its papers for the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday 22nd September 2016. The papers contain the Quality Report for the NSFT Board prepared by Michelle Allott, Deputy Director of Nursing at NSFT. The report states: Overall, the number of SIs over the past two years

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Campaign statement to Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) on unexpected deaths at NSFT

Penny, a Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) carer, spoke on behalf of our campaign at the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) of Norfolk County Council today: Thank you for the opportunity of addressing you on behalf of the Campaign about issues arising from the Verita report. I am the nearest relative

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EDP: Deaths at mental health service show lack of learning, says doctor

Tom Bristow of the Archant Investigations Unit reports: The region’s troubled mental health service has been accused of failing to learn from its mistakes after it emerged that nowhere in the country had more concerns raised about mental health deaths than Norfolk and Suffolk. Coroners have written to the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT)

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Kept in the Dark: Should we expect the ‘independent inquiry’ into unexpected deaths at NSFT to be a whitewash?

The ‘independent inquiry’ into unexpected deaths at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) is being published on Thursday, 26th May 2016 at the NSFT board meeting at Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich. The board meeting starts at 0930. Why not join us? So, should we expect a whitewash? Well, sadly, given our previous experience of being

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Private Eye: Mental Health: Fatal Admission… and how the unexpected deaths at NSFT keep on increasing

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) plumbs the depths of infamy as the tragic and avoidable death of Christopher Higgins features in the current issue of Private Eye. The magazine cannot be read for free on the Internet but you can support investigative journalism by spending £1.80 on Issue 1409 at your local newsagent.

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Inquest into the death of Christopher Higgins concluded today: Coroner reports requesting changes to protect the lives of mental health patients in the future

Christopher Higgins was a 36 year old man, who in the last few weeks of his life suffered from his first, but acute, mental breakdown. In those last weeks, his family tried every avenue to get Christopher the help he needed. Christopher’s mental state deteriorated significantly and in the early hours of 25 June 2013,

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EDP: ‘Tell my family I am sorry’ – the first words of mental health patient Christopher Higgins after fall which would prove fatal

Dominic Gilbert of the EDP reports: The heartbreaking first words spoken by Christopher Higgins after he suffered what were to be fatal injuries in a fall at a mental health unit, have been heard at an inquest into his death. When he went to his aid, Mr Higgins said: “Tell my family I am sorry.”

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BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust failed to act on 258 recommendations

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: A mental health trust failed to act on 258 recommendations from 98 reviews into serious incidents, such as patient deaths, a report has revealed. Former Norfolk coroner William Armstrong said the trust’s failure to act was a “serious concern”. Serious incident reviews take place after there are unexpected or

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BBC: Rape claim mental health patient ‘took own life’ at Norwich hospital

A woman on suicide watch at a mental health unit in Norwich killed herself after reporting she had been raped by a male patient, an inquest has heard. We wrote about the impact of cuts and inadequate/bank staffing on safety in secure services at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) more than a year

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Video: itv NEWS Anglia – Mental Health Trust condemned as inadequate

Norman Lamb MP appears on itv NEWS Anglia as a campaigner, a self-proclaimed mental health champion: “It is misguided to think that you can reduce spending in mental health and not expect consequences to that” So, who is the Minister of State at the Department of Health directly responsible for mental health who has overseen

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EDP: Family of man who jumped to his death from Norwich’s Castle Mall agree settlement with mental health service

Matthew Dunham, 25, was suffering from depression when he jumped from the shopping mall on May 9 2013. His family and the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) have settled a claim out of court, lawyers said today, after the trust admitted failures “materially contributed to the deceased taking his own life”. At an inquest

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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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