This recent report published by the NHS Confederation isn’t particularly useful (only 23 per cent of trusts even responded) but it does expose the mental health cuts of local MP and Secretary of State at the Department of Health responsible for mental health, Norman Lamb, as it pitches for more money for digital projects. In fact, it […]
North Norfolk MP and Minister of State at the Department of Health responsible for mental health, Norman Lamb, has been very quiet about the collapse of the Section 75 agreement between Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and Norfolk County Council (NCC) Social Services Department. Section 75 is the legal mechanism which enables health
Disintegration of Health and Social Care in Care Minister Norman Lamb’s own Constituency Read More »
We have resisted criticising Healthwatch Norfolk, in large part out of respect for its Chairman, who was an outstanding Norfolk Coroner who never hesitated to hold Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to public account. But, enough is enough. Today, Healthwatch Norfolk had a stall at the Forum in Norwich, with expensively-branded pencils, rubbers,
Healthwatch Norfolk: Is it any use? Read More »
It is happening again this weekend. No beds. No accountability. No responsibility. Norman Lamb claims to be a champion of the mentally ill with his self-promotional but resourceless gimmicks such as sponsored bike rides, the Cashless Concordat and ‘parity of esteem‘. The truth is that mental health services have been cut in real terms while
We have been passed a copy of the Operational Plan 2014-16 of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and its contents are shocking. In the 2013-14 financial year, mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk were already in deep crisis and this campaign was founded as a result. Yet the Operational Plan submitted to
Click the image below to read Terry Skyrme’s letter in Community Care, explaining why he has decided to retire from the mental health frontline to fight the damaging cuts to services.
Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: Concerns over plans to centralise Norfolk mental health assessment suites in Norwich have been raised by a police commissioner and a union. Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the suites, has started consulting staff on the proposal, the BBC understands. People are brought to the suites, often
BBC News: Assessment suite closures concern for mental health in Norfolk and Suffolk Read More »
Award-winning Health Correspondent Adam Gretton of the EDP reports: Officials from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), said the mental health trust for Norfolk and Suffolk had high numbers of “worse than expected” results from the survey, which was conducted by the health watchdog earlier this year. More than 250 patients using community services at NSFT
“Emma Corlett, NSFT Unison media spokesperson, who is also a mental health nurse in Norwich, said the cuts to local services had proved to be a “false economy.” She added that the trust continued to spend large sums of money on temporary staffing costs, which amounted to £2.39m in August and more than £8m for the
Kathryn Bradley of the Lowestoft Journal reports: The group was cheered on by visitors and staff entering the hospital grounds. During the event, Mr Skyrme said NSFT was also proposing to cut Section 136 suites at Carlton Court and throughout Norfolk and replace them with a single unit at Hellesdon. The suites are used to assess
Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: Patients having to wait up to 22 hours in mental health assessment suites in Norfolk and Suffolk is “unacceptable”, leading experts have said. A BBC Freedom of Information request found that between January and July, seven patients had to wait more than 15 hours and three more than 20.
BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health unit waits of 22 hours ‘not acceptable’ Read More »
Mental health services across Norfolk and Suffolk need more beds not fewer. The people of Waveney need a local hospital, section 136 suite and crisis team. Many of the people who use Carlton Court are not local but come from across Norfolk and Suffolk. We cannot allow the destruction of an integrated mental health care system and
Gallery: Carlton Court demonstration Saturday 13th September 2014 Read More »
Mental health services across Norfolk and Suffolk need more beds not fewer. The people of Waveney need a local hospital, section 136 suite and crisis team. Many of the people who use Carlton Court are not local but come from across Norfolk and Suffolk. We cannot allow the destruction of an integrated mental health care
Saturday 13th September: Demonstrate to Save Carlton Court Read More »
Try the video contained in this link if the embedded video below doesn’t play on your phone or tablet. If that doesn’t work you’ll need to try on a computer or different device. Sorry, we don’t make the Channel 4 video player.
Video: Channel 4 News – Mental health: too many patients, not enough beds Read More »
Beds full There have been times in the past couple of years when they have sent 30 or 40 people sometimes hundreds of miles away because their beds have been full. A new management team has recently been brought in and they have managed to reduce this to seven or eight. But when I asked
“Use of ‘red leave’ bed’s to manage patients locally, meaning using beds deemed to be held for patients considered to be potentially at risk by inpatient teams. Increased demands on staffing to manage high turnover of service users as well as protracted time periods required to manage applications for OOA placements as well as transport issues. OOA placement usage, this provides financial pressures and risk as well as quality risk. Extended
In NSFT’s words: Bed pressure Read More »
“Inability to provide an individual practitioner to every Service User in Central Adult Community There are a growing number of unallocated clinical cases in the Central Locality who require Care Coordination or Lead Care Professional alignment which could result in a lack of timely intervention if required. last recorded unallocated numbers awaiting caseload allocation is 381.” The current dangerous situation in mental health community teams is going to become much, much worse
In NSFT’s words: Unallocated cases Read More »
We’ve written before about the financial scandal of the £7.3 million redundancy programme at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), which paid experienced and highly qualified staff to leave, wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, placed services at risk, damaged continuity and quality of care and created a recruitment crisis. NSFT claimed at
Financial scandal: NSFT recruiting to replace doctor paid thousands to leave Read More »
Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: A mental health trust covering an area where care minister Norman Lamb is MP has warned it is struggling to provide a “safe and effective” service. Gary Page, chair of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said “fundamental” changes were needed. Mr Page told the BBC: “We welcome the
BBC: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust funding concerns Read More »
At last, after a year of campaigning, Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has finally acknowledged that the ‘so-called bed crisis’ is a real bed crisis and that beds can be opened as well as closed. Thank you, Michael Scott, Chief Executive of NSFT for starting to listen to us! “[Michael Scott] told members
EDP: New chief’s pledge to open new mental health beds in Norwich Read More »
