We’ve just received an FOI response from Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). While claiming in public how much it wanted to work with our campaign, NSFT spent a staggering £2,810.87 of NHS funds with its corporate solicitors, Bevan Brittan, to explore legal action against its own service users, carers, staff and public in […]
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
BBC News: Mental health ‘starved of resources’, says former coroner Read More »
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:
This recent report published by the NHS Confederation isn’t particularly useful (only 23 per cent of trusts even responded) but it does expose the mental health cuts of local MP and Secretary of State at the Department of Health responsible for mental health, Norman Lamb, as it pitches for more money for digital projects. In fact, it
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
Campaign response to HealthEast decision to close beds at Carlton Court Read More »
We could all be ‘John’. Listen to health professional ‘John’ telling BBC journalist Louise Priest about the impact of the Trust Service Strategy (TSS) on his own mental and physical health.
North Norfolk MP and Minister of State at the Department of Health responsible for mental health, Norman Lamb, has been very quiet about the collapse of the Section 75 agreement between Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and Norfolk County Council (NCC) Social Services Department. Section 75 is the legal mechanism which enables health
Disintegration of Health and Social Care in Care Minister Norman Lamb’s own Constituency Read More »
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 »
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
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
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
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
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.
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
BBC News: Assessment suite closures concern for mental health in Norfolk and Suffolk Read More »
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
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 »
Ever wondered why NSFT does so badly in the NHS Staff Survey? In 2011-12, the Fair Pay Ratio was 6.3, meaning the highest-paid director was earning 6.3 times the median salary. By 2013-14, the Fair Pay Ratio had risen to 8.0 which is 27% worse than three years before, while services and budgets have been
The Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held at Trinity Park, Felixstowe Road, Ipswich IP3 8UH between 1730 and 1830 with refreshments from 1700. The Campaign is not making a major effort to be present because questions are limited to ten minutes and the whole meeting lasts only one hour. However, it
“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
Andy McNicoll is an excellent investigative journalist. McNicoll’s latest article at Community Care demonstrates Norman Lamb’s duplicity and hollow words, outlining the cuts to crisis prevention as funding has been slashed for Assertive Outreach (AO), Early Intervention (EI) and Crisis teams. Norman Lamb’s claim to be a champion of the mentally ill is a very sick
