CAMHS Crisis: The shameful discharge letters sent to more than 300 young people abusing the Covid-19 epidemic

These shameful letters sent by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) abused the Covid-19 epidemic as an excuse to discharge 300+ children and young people from waiting lists at the Youth Service of Children, Families and Young People’s mental health services (CFYP) to cover-up an appalling Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection report, lack of front line staff and terrible management.

NSFT claims the letters were a ‘mistake’ but refused to answer the BBC’s reasonable questions. NSFT wouldn’t even say what it believed was the ‘mistake’ or what it was doing about putting the ‘mistake’ right, if anything at all.

How can an organisation set up a process, involving the creation by committee of a standard discharge letter, selection of hundreds of children and young people on waiting lists for discharge from mental health services, recruitment and training of people to staff a call centre and the posting of hundreds of letters, as part of a tawdry response to a highly-critical CQC inspection ‘by mistake’?

As is standard management practice at NSFT, nobody has taken responsibility or been held accountable. Nobody would be interviewed by the BBC. Nobody would even sign the letters. All the executives and senior managers will continue trousering their ridiculous and ever-expanding salaries from NHS coffers as NSFT remains the only mental health trust in the country in Special Measures.

The treatment of children and young people like this, in breach of guidance from NHS England and HM Government, is scandalous.

‘Opt-in’ discharge letters such as these are dangerous.

NSFT remains the toxic trust.

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