A Stitch-up is not Safe: Improvement doesn’t look like this

We’ve known the intended result of the inspection of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) since before Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the worst mental health trust in the country. We’ve heard rumours from many quarters that NSFT would be moved from ‘Inadequate’ to ‘Requires Improvement’ tomorrow for months, with the bureaucratic dinosaur known […]

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A Stitch-up is not Safe: Campaign writes to Care Quality Commission regarding NSFT inspection

Today, we have written to Care Quality Commission (CQC) expressing our concerns about the inspection currently underway at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), echoing the views of many stakeholders. While we desperately want NSFT to improve, any improvement needs to be genuine rather predetermined for the convenience of the NHS bureaucracy. CQC cannot

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EDP Front Page: Cross-party letter demands end to ‘chaos and confusion’ in Norfolk and Suffolk mental health

Geraldine Scott of the Eastern Daily Press reports: A cross-party group of MPs have demanded the “chaos and confusion must end” over the region’s failing mental health care provision. Seven MPs from Norfolk and Suffolk, representing the Conservatives, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats, have written to regulator NHS Improvement (NHSI) to slam the “unacceptable drift”

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Fact check: EDP: ‘Things are moving in the right direction’ at region’s mental health trust, says chief executive

Geraldine Scott of the EDP ‘interviews’ Michael ‘Payrise’ Scott, the £175,000 per year Chief Executive of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT): The region’s mental health trust has reported it has seen financial growth at the same time as slashing its deficit for the first time in five years. That sounds great. Sadly, ‘slashing

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EDP: Crowds gather in Norwich city centre to join March for Mental Health

Sabrina Johnson of the Eastern Daily Press reports: Hundreds of people of all ages gathered in Norwich city centre to add their voices to the call for better mental health services and to protest against cuts to the NHS One protester Hazel Van Der Lee, 43, of Great Yarmouth, who had her own experience of

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Video: BBC Look East leads with our March for Mental Health in Norwich

Jenny Kirk of the BBC reports:   The number of ‘unexpected deaths’ at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has more than doubled in just four years.

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NSFT Masterclass: Chief Executive Michael Scott’s excuses for unexpected deaths more than doubling

When the Chief Executive of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) appeared before the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) of Norfolk County Council, he barely deployed a number, percentage or fact. Instead, Michael Scott gave a very long list of excuses, including: “I’m not going to get into a numbers game” “most people

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Deaths Crisis: Unexpected deaths denial continues at NSFT

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has published its papers for the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday 22nd September 2016. The papers contain the Quality Report for the NSFT Board prepared by Michelle Allott, Deputy Director of Nursing at NSFT. The report states: Overall, the number of SIs over the past two years

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EDP: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health boss under fire over ‘unexpected deaths’

Tom Bristow of the Eastern Daily Press reports: Chief executive of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) Michael Scott was quizzed yesterday by Norfolk County councillors about why so many of the trust’s patients have died unexpectedly. But his answers failed to impress campaigners who accused him of failing to explain the deaths. Almost

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Campaign statement to Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) on unexpected deaths at NSFT

Penny, a Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) carer, spoke on behalf of our campaign at the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) of Norfolk County Council today: Thank you for the opportunity of addressing you on behalf of the Campaign about issues arising from the Verita report. I am the nearest relative

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Invitation: Join us at meeting investigating the rise in unexpected deaths of NSFT patients at Edwards Room, County Hall NR1 2DH at 10 a.m. on Thursday 8th September

We have provided evidence to the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (NHOSC) and hope that a carer and distinguished member of our campaign will be given the opportunity to speak. NSFT unexpected deaths is the first item on the agenda. Details of the meeting are here. A location map is at the bottom of

Invitation: Join us at meeting investigating the rise in unexpected deaths of NSFT patients at Edwards Room, County Hall NR1 2DH at 10 a.m. on Thursday 8th September Read More »

EDP: Union backs Mental Health Watch campaign – and highlights ongoing concerns in Norfolk and Suffolk

David Powles of the EDP reports: Bosses of the trust used their recent AGM to proclaim of turning a corner, but Ms Corlett says while some things have improved – there’s a long way to go before staff feel that is the case. She explained: “A lot of staff still feel angry about how change

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

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

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

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,

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Fantasy Island: The CQC Video Files: ‘Well-led’

What’s the best thing to come out of service strategy? A majority of respondents replied ‘nothing’ when asked their views on the best thing to come out of Service Strategy. One reflected sadly, ‘finding positives is difficult. I rely on finding positives for my clients’. Alexander Report This ‘corporate video’ was made in preparation for

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A funeral every ten days: Campaign statement on the increase in deaths in the community

“Ours is a moral campaign, founded in November 2013 by mental health staff deeply concerned about cuts and service closures at NSFT and what they believed was a cluster of preventable deaths caused by the so-called ‘radical redesign’ process. Those brave staff have been joined by more than two thousand users of mental health services,

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Kept in the Dark: Dear Simon Stevens, we’re still waiting after 285 days

  I am sorry that the response to your internal review request is taking longer to complete than our standard and the understandable frustration this may be causing you. Further to your initial Internal Review request, the panel convened on 8 April 2015 and we hope to be able to provide you with the panel’s

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Kept in the Dark: Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) tries to hide the devastating impact of the ‘radical redesign’

Our decision to publish the chain of emails between our campaign and Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) finally forced a response from Michael Scott, the £175,000 per year Chief Executive of NSFT, on 30th April 2015. We submitted our original FOI request in December 2014. NSFT is supposed to respond in 20 days.

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Daily Telegraph: Whistleblowing: NHS crushes those who speak out, Sir Robert Francis QC warns

Laura Donnelly of the Daily Telegraph reports: Sir Robert believes that many of the worst failings in the NHS occur when clinical staff become powerless — are left “shrugging their shoulders” rather than challenging poor care. As he made a public call for evidence, he told The Telegraph that he feared too many had been hounded out

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