Deaths Crisis: INQUEST challenges suitability of supported housing in care provision to young adults with serious, longstanding mental illness

The inquest into the ‘unexpected death’ of Daniel Chapman under the care of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) started on Monday 19th September before the Suffolk coroner, Peter Dean, at Bury St Edmunds. The family is represented by Claire Mawer at 15 New Bridge Street and INQUEST Lawyer’s Group member Harriet Wistrich of Birnberg […]

Deaths Crisis: INQUEST challenges suitability of supported housing in care provision to young adults with serious, longstanding mental illness Read More »

EDP: ‘It is horrendous’ – Figures reveal huge rise in number of unexpected mental health deaths

Tom Bristow of the Archant Investigations Unit reports in the Eastern Daily Press: A record number of patients are dying unexpectedly each month at the region’s troubled mental health trust, despite years of reassurances and reviews into the problem. Campaigners and families of those who have died reacted with horror today to the latest set

EDP: ‘It is horrendous’ – Figures reveal huge rise in number of unexpected mental health deaths Read More »

In NSFT’s words: ‘reduction of approximately 135 whole time equivalents (-3%) across all staff groups’

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) is busy denying its own plans for ‘Putting People First’ now that they have become public. Here is what the Board of NSFT wrote in its own Annual Operational Plan 2016-17 in April 2016 to its regulator, Monitor: Over any year we anticipate our staff numbers to change,

In NSFT’s words: ‘reduction of approximately 135 whole time equivalents (-3%) across all staff groups’ Read More »

BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust to cut 90 posts

Nikki Fox and Nic Rigby of the BBC report: An NHS trust caring for mentally ill people in Norfolk and Suffolk which was placed in special measures by a care watchdog, is planning to cut 90 posts. The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust wants to cut its deficit from £8.9m in 2015-16 to £6.1m in

BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust to cut 90 posts Read More »

Guardian: NHS child mental health services are failing the next generation, say GPs

Denis Campbell of the Guardian reports: Pulse’s figures, obtained under freedom of information legislation from 15 mental health trusts, showed that 61% of children and young people referred for help from CAMHS in 2015 received no treatment. A third were not even assessed for it. Only 20% of under-18s referred to Norfolk and Suffolk NHS

Guardian: NHS child mental health services are failing the next generation, say GPs Read More »

Pulse: Why do 60% of GP child mental health referrals end with no treatment?

Caroline Price of Pulse reports: A whole generation of children is being failed by mental health services, say GPs who struggle to access specialist help for their patients. Seven out of the 15 trusts showed marked reductions. For example, at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust the proportion treated fell from 42% to 26%,

Pulse: Why do 60% of GP child mental health referrals end with no treatment? Read More »

Pulse: Two-thirds of GP referrals for child mental health lead to no treatment

Caroline Price of Pulse reports: Figures obtained from 15 mental health trusts reveal that 60% of GP referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) lead to no treatment and a third are not even assessed. The situation for young people with mental health issues appears to be worsening, with the numbers of referrals

Pulse: Two-thirds of GP referrals for child mental health lead to no treatment Read More »

EADT: NSFT curtailing psychiatric liaison services (PLS) in hospitals “without warning or consultation”

Andrew Hirst of the East Anglian Daily Times reports shocking news: Labour has joined calls demanding more money be made available for mental health services in Suffolk, warning that reported cuts of £200,000 will have “severe consequences” for sufferers in the county. Sarah Adams, Labour’s health spokeswoman, said the cuts in provision were “disappointing to

EADT: NSFT curtailing psychiatric liaison services (PLS) in hospitals “without warning or consultation” Read More »

EADT: Doctors warn of impacts on patients posed by Suffolk’s £13m health budget shortfall

Andrew Hirst of the East Anglian Daily Times reports: Doctors have warned that a multimillion pound hole in Suffolk’s health budget could bring about a more “chaotic” service with patients denied drugs and treatments. The Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk said services were already underfunded and could not cope with

EADT: Doctors warn of impacts on patients posed by Suffolk’s £13m health budget shortfall Read More »

The Daily Gazette and Essex County Standard: UPDATED: Popular… student… should have been followed up by Wellbeing Service

Katherine Palmer of The Daily Gazette and Essex County Standard reports: A TEENAGER… should have been followed up by a mental health wellbeing service, an inquest has heard. Harriet Philo-Powell died suddenly aged 18 at the end of February. She had referred herself to a wellbeing service at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

The Daily Gazette and Essex County Standard: UPDATED: Popular… student… should have been followed up by Wellbeing Service Read More »

BBC News: ‘Significant increase’ in mental health patients being sent out of area

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: There has been a “significant increase” in the number of Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust mental health patients sent out of its area in May, a report to its board has found. Click on the image below to read the article in full on the BBC website:

BBC News: ‘Significant increase’ in mental health patients being sent out of area Read More »

EDP: Letter: Shocking Figures Reveal Impact of cuts on Mental Health Services

The EDP printed this letter from the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk on Saturday 18th June 2016: Dear Editor So, the Independent Inquiry into the deaths of patients under the care of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has concluded that the number of these deaths is no worse

EDP: Letter: Shocking Figures Reveal Impact of cuts on Mental Health Services Read More »

Fiscal Fantasy Island: NSFT spends over half its Out Of Trust Acute (OOA) Beds budget in first two months of the year

The number of out of trust acute (OOA) bed days has nearly doubled: from 332 days in April 2016 to 647 days in May 2016. Most of these patients are being sent to the expensive, remote and private Mundesley Hospital, where it seems that none of the medical staff have passed the exams of the Royal

Fiscal Fantasy Island: NSFT spends over half its Out Of Trust Acute (OOA) Beds budget in first two months of the year Read More »

RSA Norwich: The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Terry Skyrme reflects on the recent RSA mental health event in Norwich: “Campaign supporters held a protest outside an event organized by the RSA at St Michael’s church in Norwich. Speakers at the event represented the “Third sector” and other mainstream services such as Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), the main provider of

RSA Norwich: The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions Read More »

The Norwich Radical: The Elephant in the Room: Norfolk’s Mental Health Crisis

Hannah Rose reports in The Norwich Radical from the recent RSA event: Instead, I was perturbed by the oddly formal sense of occasion — cheese and wine were offered on arrival — and I was given instructions to mingle. I had the distinct feeling that I was definitely at the wrong meeting. Only around fifty chairs

The Norwich Radical: The Elephant in the Room: Norfolk’s Mental Health Crisis Read More »

Help: Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspecting NSFT in July 2016

CQC, the independent regulator of health, mental health and adult social care in England will be inspecting Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust the week beginning the 11th July.  They would like to hear feedback about mental health services before the inspection. There are a number of ways people can feedback their views (CQC are

Help: Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspecting NSFT in July 2016 Read More »

Kept in the Dark: Daily Gazette: ‘inquest… to be adjourned after finding out the professions of two NHS workers were not as they had understood.”

The Daily Gazette and Essex County Standard reports: AN inquest into the sudden death of a teenager has been adjourned as new information has come to light. Harriet Philo-Powell died suddenly aged 18 at the end of February. Miss Philo-Powell’s family, who live in Bulmer, near Halstead, asked for the inquest into her death to

Kept in the Dark: Daily Gazette: ‘inquest… to be adjourned after finding out the professions of two NHS workers were not as they had understood.” Read More »

Protest: RSA: “Throwing money we don’t have at a problem that just won’t go away is not the answer.”

Tomorrow evening, on Tuesday 7th June 2016, we will be protesting at the failure to invite service users, carers and professionals to an event the purpose of which is said to be finding ‘affordable, innovative new solutions’ to mental health. We will be assembling outside St Michael at Plea in Norwich from 5.45 p.m. A

Protest: RSA: “Throwing money we don’t have at a problem that just won’t go away is not the answer.” Read More »

Invitation: 6th June 2016: Meeting with NSFT about unexpected deaths at 6 p.m. today at Hellesdon Hospital

We’re meeting the Director of Nursing, Jane Sayer, and the Medical Director, Bohdan Solomka, of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to discuss the extremely disappointing report into the alarming increase in unexpected deaths at NSFT to a record number. Worse still, the number of unexpected deaths continues to rise but NSFT remains complacent: there

Invitation: 6th June 2016: Meeting with NSFT about unexpected deaths at 6 p.m. today at Hellesdon Hospital Read More »

Scroll to Top