Nicholas Carding of the EDP reports:
Mental health patients in West Norfolk who need acute treatment face being sent to Norwich or further for a hospital bed after bosses closed the last remaining unit to new admissions.
But a spokesman for the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk described the situation as a “tragic farce”, and said it was a result of decades of under-investment in mental health.
“The people of Norfolk and Suffolk can’t afford to lose another 20 acute psychiatric inpatient beds,” the spokesman said.
“Talk of staff shortages, building issues and temporary closure are the same excuses used previously to close vital wards.”
The spokesman said the trust was paying the price of making many staff redundant during the organisation’s redesign during 2012-13.
Here we go again. In April 2013, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) wasted millions making 41 experienced and highly trained staff in King’s Lynn redundant and destroyed morale. We warned Michael Scott and Norfolk County Council about the worsening staffing crisis in West Norfolk twelve months ago. Now NSFT claims it can’t staff the Fermoy Unit and closes it without notice, consultation or announcement. What a disgrace.
Campaigners in King’s Lynn are arranging a march and public meeting in protest. If you’d like to help or get involved, get in touch.
Click on the image below to read the article in full on the EDP website:
