Press Release: Victory! NSFT to reintroduce Assertive Outreach with £1m investment

32 Comments / Campaigning, Community Crisis, Deaths Crisis, In NSFT's words, Knowing me, knowing you, aha!, Press / By

UPDATE 06/05/2020: Sadly, this was an April Fool. The quotes from former Professor Jonathan Warren and Marie Gabriel are genuine and accurate, taken from the Board and Governors minutes. Jonathan and Marie just never bothered to tell anyone that they weren’t going to do it any longer, hence the April Fool. The clique and commissioners […]

Press Release: Victory! NSFT to reintroduce Assertive Outreach with £1m investment Read More »

The Guardian: Nuwan Dissanayaka: Jamie is psychotic and won’t go outside. Mental health services are failing him

8 Comments / Campaigning, Car Crash, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Dangerous, Deaths Crisis, Dis the CQC, NSFT - A Warning from History, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Revolving Doors / By

This article from Nuwan Dissanayaka needs to be read by everybody with an interest in mental health. Dr. Dissanayaka is really worth following on Twitter. We’re delighted Nuwan’s views are getting wider attention in the national press. Dr. Dissanayaka is the consultant psychiatrist in the Assertive Outreach team in Leeds. Of course, assertive outreach at

The Guardian: Nuwan Dissanayaka: Jamie is psychotic and won’t go outside. Mental health services are failing him Read More »

EDP: Mother of Norwich man who died of heroin overdose blames institutional failings of mental health trust

17 Comments / Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Deaths Crisis, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Geraldine Scott of the Eastern Daily Press reports: The family of a man who died of a heroin overdose at his Norwich flat blamed “institutional failings of the mental health trust” for the circumstances surrounding his death. Mr Jacobs’ friends told Norfolk’s Coroner’s Court this morning it was here Mr Jacobs was victim to the

EDP: Mother of Norwich man who died of heroin overdose blames institutional failings of mental health trust Read More »

EDP: Mother of Norwich patient says son with schizophrenia could have been saved and blasts mental health services

3 Comments / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Deaths Crisis, Financial crisis, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Tom Bristow of the Eastern Daily Press reports: The last time Sheila Preston saw her son alive was Christmas 2014. Almost two years later, two police officers knocked on her door at 1.30am at her home in Mendham on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. They had come to tell her Leo had been found dead in his

EDP: Mother of Norwich patient says son with schizophrenia could have been saved and blasts mental health services Read More »

BBC News: Increasing numbers of rough sleepers in city

9 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Caroline Kingdon of the BBC reports: A charity in Norwich that helps the homeless says they’ve seen an increase in the number of rough sleepers in the city over the last few years. The St Martins Housing Trust, which runs the 30-bed Bishopbridge House hostel, says this year they’ve seen about 200 people come through their doors,

BBC News: Increasing numbers of rough sleepers in city Read More »

EDP: Letter: Reasons for rise in unexpected deaths need to be established

13 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

In an excellent letter to the Eastern Daily Press, Brian Watkins, Liberal Democrat county councillor for the Eaton Division of Norfolk County Council writes: It is deeply disturbing to learn that there has been a big increase in the number of patients under the care of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust who have died unexpectedly. Despite repeated reassurances that the situation would be

EDP: Letter: Reasons for rise in unexpected deaths need to be established Read More »

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

Leave a Comment / Bed Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT - A Warning from History, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis / By

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.

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

EDP: Mental health patients in our region are being failed by the government, says MP

16 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Special Measures, Walk for Mental Health / By

Having our campaigning local media and one MP who genuinely cares about mental health makes such a difference. Annabelle Dickson, Political Editor of the EDP, reports: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health services would have almost £70m a year more if they were treated in the same way as physical health, the Norwich South MP has claimed.

EDP: Mental health patients in our region are being failed by the government, says MP Read More »

EDP Front Page Exclusive: Number of deaths at Norfolk and Suffolk mental health service surges

6 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Nick Carding of the EDP reports exclusively: Campaigners say their “worst fears have been confirmed” after it emerged that the number of unexpected deaths of mental health patients in the region is continuing to rise. Figures published by the region’s mental health trust show more patients died unexpectedly in the first half of this financial

EDP Front Page Exclusive: Number of deaths at Norfolk and Suffolk mental health service surges Read More »

BBC News: Mental health death after Norfolk and Suffolk trust failure

1 Comment / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: A mental health patient died after a “failure” to respond in a “timely way” by a stretched health trust team, a report says. The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust report said there were “serious capacity issues” with its crisis resolution team. It says another death occurred after a patient

BBC News: Mental health death after Norfolk and Suffolk trust failure Read More »

Kept in the Dark: Artist’s Impression of chart showing increasing unexpected deaths among those who rely on NSFT

3 Comments / Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board / By

We challenged Gary Page, the Chair of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), to publish NSFT’s data on unexpected deaths after his report to the NSFT Board stated he was “concerned” at the increase in unexpected community deaths from 95 in 2013-14 to 130 in 2014-15. On the same day Gary Page refused to publish,

Kept in the Dark: Artist’s Impression of chart showing increasing unexpected deaths among those who rely on NSFT Read More »

Gallery: Slides from Public Meeting: What is happening at NSFT? Do we still need a campaign?

11 Comments / Anniversary Open Meeting, Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, In NSFT's words, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, Section 75, Special Measures / By

You can view the presentation in the Gallery below or download the slides as a pdf to view offline, distribute or print.   The sources of the employment data are the various Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) Annual Report and Accounts published between 2011 and 2015. The sources of the Serious Incident (SI)

Gallery: Slides from Public Meeting: What is happening at NSFT? Do we still need a campaign? Read More »

NSFT – A Warning from History: “Assertive Outreach was simply airbrushed out”

11 Comments / Campaigning, Community Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT - A Warning from History, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

NSFT claims to the EDP: Has the trust taken on board the concerns about the scrapping of the Assertive Outreach Team? If so what has been done? “Following the integration of the assertive outreach function into our adult community teams we constantly review how best we can support those who have severe and enduring mental

NSFT – A Warning from History: “Assertive Outreach was simply airbrushed out” Read More »

In NSFT’s words: Not the Six O’Clock News

3 Comments / In NSFT's words, Press, Questions for the Board / By

From: NSFT Communications Subject: BBC broadcast on Trust being placed into special measures Dear colleagues, The BBC has just informed the Trust that the report, outlined below, will not be broadcast tonight but on another day this week, yet to be decided. I will keep you updated on their revised schedule. Michael Scott Chief Executive Here’s

In NSFT’s words: Not the Six O’Clock News Read More »

In NSFT’s words: BBC Six O’Clock News tonight on ‘redundancies, improvement programme, staff shortages, our financial position, and the disbanding of the Assertive Outreach Team’

4 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis, Special Measures / By

From: NSFT Communications Subject: BBC broadcast on Trust being placed into special measures Dear colleagues, The BBC One 6 O’Clock News is scheduled to be broadcasting a story this evening (Tuesday, 2 June) about our Trust being placed into ‘special measures’ by the regulator, Monitor, following the inspection of our services by the Care Quality Commission

In NSFT’s words: BBC Six O’Clock News tonight on ‘redundancies, improvement programme, staff shortages, our financial position, and the disbanding of the Assertive Outreach Team’ Read More »

Community Care: Mental health trust funding down 8% from 2010 despite coalition’s drive for parity of esteem

7 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Clozapine Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

Norman Lamb called our campaign ‘mental health extremists‘ for simply pointing out that Norman Lamb claims to be a mental health champion whilst cutting mental health funding and services. Now the £600 million’s worth of Norman Lamb’s duplicity is clear for all to see. What kind of ‘drive for parity of esteem’ results in the

Community Care: Mental health trust funding down 8% from 2010 despite coalition’s drive for parity of esteem Read More »

Mind the Gap: Mental health charity Mind excludes election candidate, mental health service user and disability campaigner, Mick Hardy, from its mental health election panel

15 Comments / Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Mind the Gap, NSFT Cuts, Sister campaigns, Special Measures / By

We’ve just receives this shocking press release from Mick Hardy, prospective parliamentary candidate in Norwich North for the Dandy Party and a founder member of the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk: Mental health charity Mind excludes election candidate, mental health service user and disability campaigner, Mick Hardy, from its mental

Mind the Gap: Mental health charity Mind excludes election candidate, mental health service user and disability campaigner, Mick Hardy, from its mental health election panel Read More »

Sheringham Independent: Skyrme vs. Lamb

2 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, s136 Crisis / By

Terry Skyrme of the Campaign, who lives in Norman Lamb’s North Norfolk constituency, gives Lamb a roasting: We in the Campaign to save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk find it hard to stomach Norman Lamb’s continuous efforts to present himself as the champion of the mentally ill. He has been a Health Minister

Sheringham Independent: Skyrme vs. Lamb Read More »

BBC News: Mental health ‘starved of resources’, says former coroner

3 Comments / Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

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 »

Community Care: How mental health teams that are key to crisis prevention have been cut back

2 Comments / Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press / By

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

Community Care: How mental health teams that are key to crisis prevention have been cut back Read More »

Scroll to Top