EDP: ‘What people need is support and understanding’ – Sister of mental health patient Neil Jewell speaks out over the care he received before his death

Geraldine Scott interviews Neil Jewell’s brave family in the Eastern Daily Press: A family has described the “seven year period of spiralling decline” a man suffered before sustaining fatal injuries while under the care of the region’s mental health trust. Neil Jewell, 42, of Philadelphia Lane, Norwich, died on January 17, 2014, while sectioned under […]

EDP: ‘What people need is support and understanding’ – Sister of mental health patient Neil Jewell speaks out over the care he received before his death Read More »

Audio: BBC Suffolk interview & opinion poll as NSFT Chair Mr Page denies both 30th April out of area deadline and bed closures in Suffolk

Listen to Mr Page, the chair of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), claim that no beds have been or will be closed in Suffolk – until a local listener contacts BBC Suffolk to say that NSFT has closed beds at Carlton Court in Suffolk and is involved in a consultation with HealthEast over further

Audio: BBC Suffolk interview & opinion poll as NSFT Chair Mr Page denies both 30th April out of area deadline and bed closures in Suffolk Read More »

EDP: Public consultation results will play ‘incredibly important’ part in future of mental health services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney

We’ve said it before but it is worth saying again: congratulations to HealthEast for being the only CCG of the seven in Norfolk & Suffolk to hold open and properly recorded public consultation meetings on the radical redesign proposals which Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) pushed through without any meaningful public consultation: closing

EDP: Public consultation results will play ‘incredibly important’ part in future of mental health services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney Read More »

Audio: Emma Corlett interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk Breakfast Show about proposed cuts to mental health services

Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has tried to intimidate us into silence and failed. Instead, NSFT has silenced itself, unable to find any member of the executive team willing to defend the indefensible on the BBC. Whatever happened to public accountability? How much is Fay Quayle, the interim Head of Communications, being paid

Audio: Emma Corlett interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk Breakfast Show about proposed cuts to mental health services Read More »

National mental health conference: Call for speakers and papers

This summer we are planning a public meeting and conference on cuts to mental health services and the national bed and community care crises. We would like to share what we have learnt and learn from others nationwide. We welcome all relevant contributions, offers of assistance, donations and sponsorship. If you have any topics you

National mental health conference: Call for speakers and papers Read More »

14th Day of Lent: EDP – Going without access to treatment even if you’re staff

This is quite the most shocking story from the excellent Adam Gretton of the EDP. “A mental health worker has revealed how she tried to take her own life during a two-month wait to get an appointment with a community team after she was signed off sick.” Click the image below to read more. Whether you

14th Day of Lent: EDP – Going without access to treatment even if you’re staff Read More »

10th Day of Lent: Going without services which have saved my life

Victoria writes: “In 2003 I had a breakdown. My Mother had to take me to my GP’s surgery, as he refused a home visit. As I paced up & down the receptionist appeared & asked me to go into a private room as “I was upsetting” other patients. It took 3 days of hell before

10th Day of Lent: Going without services which have saved my life Read More »

Public Campaign Meeting: 7 p.m. Tuesday 18th March 2014 at Suffolk One, Scrivener Drive IPSWICH IP8 3SU

Public Campaign Meeting Tuesday 18th March 7pm Suffolk One, Scrivener Drive, IPSWICH IP8 3SU Did you know: Mentally ill people are sent out of county because there are no beds free in Suffolk? Suffolk’s Early Intervention in Psychosis teams have been scrapped? Specialist Assertive Outreach intervention teams are being abolished at a time of rising

Public Campaign Meeting: 7 p.m. Tuesday 18th March 2014 at Suffolk One, Scrivener Drive IPSWICH IP8 3SU Read More »

EDP: Mental health trust looks overseas to help fill hundreds of vacancies

A very good piece of reporting from Adam Gretton of the EDP covering the recruitment crisis at NSFT and its desperate plans to recruit from Portugal and Ireland despite making skilled and experienced staff redundant at a cost of £7.3 million – many of whom haven’t even left yet! A mental health trust, which has

EDP: Mental health trust looks overseas to help fill hundreds of vacancies Read More »

Audio: Emma Corlett interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk

Campaign member and Unison media spokesperson Emma Corlett interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk about Unison’s decision to raise a formal grievance and ask Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to call an immediate halt to the ‘radical redesign’ ‘No response’ from NSFT.

Audio: Emma Corlett interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk Read More »

EDP raises mental health funding as one of eight regional issues PM needs to know about

It is fantastic to see the EDP raising mental health funding as one of the eight issues it believes David Cameron needs to know about our region: MENTAL HEALTH: An investigation by the EDP last autumn revealed that the Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust had ordered a review into the reasons behind a spike in

EDP raises mental health funding as one of eight regional issues PM needs to know about Read More »

HOSC: What has gone wrong with the ‘radical redesign? at NSFT

The original pdf version can be downloaded here. A contribution to Norfolk County Council’s Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee from the Campaign to save Mental Health Services in Norfolk & Suffolk January 2014 “Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed unconventionally” John Maynard Keynes, The General Theory

HOSC: What has gone wrong with the ‘radical redesign? at NSFT Read More »

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the cuts took away… a fit for purpose drugs and alcohol service

We have been contacted by a number of people who have concerns about the level of support available from drug and alcohol services, run by Norfolk Recovery Partnership (NRP) since April 2013. These are the views of “Matt & Tina”, two users of the services provided by NRP: “We are currently being asked to give feedback

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the cuts took away… a fit for purpose drugs and alcohol service Read More »

On the sixth day of Christmas, NSFT took away… dignity in old age

Here’s the story ‘Harold’ wanted us to tell: “Our Trust has already closed dementia and complexity in later life beds.  The idea appears sound: dementia intensive support teams will support people in their homes. Now that is all well and good for those who can be supported at home but sometimes it just isn’t possible

On the sixth day of Christmas, NSFT took away… dignity in old age Read More »

On the fifth day of Christmas, the cuts took away… access to the only available treatment

This is the story ‘Sally’ wanted us to tell: There has been a lot of press coverage about the lack of beds, but this usually refers to beds needed in a crisis or following a Mental Health Act assessment. My colleagues and I in community teams have been dealing with another, almost hidden, consequence of

On the fifth day of Christmas, the cuts took away… access to the only available treatment Read More »

EDP: GPs refuse to increase funding despite mental health crisis

The EDP claims that the CCGs have decided to refuse any ‘significant’ increase in funding for mental health services despite the crisis and increasing demand. Read the usual excuses by clicking the image below. Or discover the human cost of inadequate mental health services in our 12 Cuts of Christmas campaign. Why not ask your GP

EDP: GPs refuse to increase funding despite mental health crisis Read More »

EADT: Suffolk: Mental health boss rejects crisis claims (again)

NSFT director Graham Creelman said ‘this is a developing national crisis in mental health’ at the NSFT Board meeting in Bury St Edmunds lobbied by this campaign this month. Now, Gary Page again claims this isn’t a crisis but ‘unforeseen problems.’ However. front-line staff have been warning about these ‘unforeseen problems’ for more than a

EADT: Suffolk: Mental health boss rejects crisis claims (again) Read More »

On the third day of Christmas… NSFT threatens rural services through low pay

My name is “Sarah”. I’m a band 3 community support worker. I love my job. But I can barely afford to come to work, and fear I may have to give up my job supporting service users in a predominantly rural area. I can’t see how anyone could afford to do the job that NSFT

On the third day of Christmas… NSFT threatens rural services through low pay Read More »

On the second day of Christmas, NSFT took away… all my support

Here is the story ‘T’ wanted to tell, ‘Discharged without my involvement’: I’d been doing really well, and felt on a level for some time. The paranoia and voices never really went away, but with help of my Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) I’d got back on my feet. After hospital I stayed in a hostel,

On the second day of Christmas, NSFT took away… all my support Read More »

Scroll to Top