The premature discharge of patients and closure of Waveney Acute Services at Carlton Court, breaking the promise made by commissioners and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), was driven by the desire to save money in the Cost Improvement Programme (CIP is an NHS euphemism for cuts), not patient care, as this internal NSFT document makes clear:
Action to fix?The Clinical Team Leader and Consultant Psychiatrist are reviewing the expected discharge dates for the remaining 9 patients at Waveney acute services. The possibility of closing all beds at the end of September is being considered. This would have benefits in reducing temporary staffing spend as well as achieving the allocated CIP for October. The consequence to the overall Trust of having 5 fewer beds overall for 2 weeks is being evaluated also. A further update on this decision will be reported on 10th September. Forecast overspend on staff will improve with natural turnover of staff.
