Kept in the Dark: NSFT blocks our appeal against refusal to release the Alexander Report

Campaigning, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board / By

Yet again, the Chair of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), Gary Page, demonstrates that NSFT is incapable of genuine transparency, as he tries to hide the devastating impact of its calamitous radical redesign and refuses our appeal for the Alexander Report to be published. Of course, we haven’t received any response to the […]

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BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust sees 41% rise in serious incidents

CQC Inspection, Dangerous, In NSFT's words, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Special Measures / By

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: A mental health trust has seen a 41% rise in the number of serious incidents (SIs) – which can include unexpected deaths, injuries or security issues – over three years, new figures show. A Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust report says the number of SIs rose from 161 in

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Video: BBC News Exclusive Investigation – ‘Firefighting to keep patients alive’

Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Special Measures / By

‘Unprecedented failings’: ‘Firefighting to Keep Patients Alive’ An exclusive investigation of the crisis in mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk on the national News at Six and Ten on BBC1 and the BBC News channel. Isn’t it shameful that the Board of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), led by a Chief Executive

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

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

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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’

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 »

BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust: Children in adult wards ‘unacceptable’

Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Community Crisis, Dangerous, Press / By

Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) Chair, Gary Page, blames NHS England. NSFT Director of Nursing, Jane Sayer, blames ‘trends’. NSFT Chief Executive, Michael Scott, blames NHS England. The NSFT Board again tries to portray itself yet again as victim not villain but forgets to mention that the NSFT Board was happy to take

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BBC News: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health funding plan prompts dispute

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

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: Cash for future mental health provision in Norfolk and Suffolk has “fallen short” of what is needed, prompting a dispute with an NHS trust and a funder. Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust said funding offered by central Norfolk clinical commissioning groups (CCG) does not meet the “volume of demand”.

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Lobby against Gagging: NSFT Board of Directors Meeting: Thursday 28th May 2015, 0830, The King’s Centre, 63-75 King Street, Norwich NR1 1PH

Campaigning, Kept in the dark, Questions for the Board / By

It is vital that we keep up the pressure on the NSFT Board to secure proper funding and deliver real improvements for mental healthcare, especially now that NSFT refuses to meet us and is trying to whitewash the impact of the radical redesign. Board meetings are the only opportunity available to ask questions and hold

Lobby against Gagging: NSFT Board of Directors Meeting: Thursday 28th May 2015, 0830, The King’s Centre, 63-75 King Street, Norwich NR1 1PH Read More »

Kept in the Dark: NHS England doesn’t even keep to its own deadlines

Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Dangerous, Financial crisis, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Recruitment Crisis, Special Measures / By

NHS England wrote to us a couple of weeks ago: 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

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Newsflash: File on 4: Minding the Gap: Mental healthcare on BBC Radio 4 at 8 p.m. on 19th May 2015

Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Campaigning, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

We’re working hard to bring the crisis in mental health services at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to national attention. The crisis isn’t over. The CCGs and NSFT promised there would be no out of area placements beyond April 2014. That promise broken, there is now a dangerous Waiting List of Shame to

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

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

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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Kept in the Dark: NHS England believes gossip and secrecy more important than public safety and transparency

Campaigning, CQC Inspection, Kept in the dark, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, Special Measures / By

We originally wrote to NHS England in September 2014 – more than seven months ago. Firstly, we wanted to discover what the chief architect of the radical redesign and Operations Director (Norfolk) of Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) was doing after Michael Scott emailed staff announcing her promotion to work for Geraldine Strathdee,

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Campaign’s evidence to Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) of Norfolk County Council on 16th April 2015

Bed Crisis, Community Crisis, Crisis Team Crisis, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis, Section 75, Special Measures / By

On 16th April, the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Norfolk County Council held a meeting to review the disastrous ‘radical redesign‘ at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). The Chief Executive of NSFT, Michael Scott, was accompanied by the Operations Director (Norfolk), Debbie White, and the Locality Operations Manager in West Norfolk, Marcus Hayward.

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Kept in the Dark: Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) ignores the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act

Kept in the dark, Questions for the Board / By

What is it like trying to obtain information from Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)? Public bodies have a statutory duty to respond within twenty working days which means we should have received a response to the request below in the middle of January. We have yet to receive a response from NSFT after more

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BBC News: Increased use puts pressure on Norfolk and Waveney mental health trust

Community Crisis, CQC Inspection, Dangerous, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board, Special Measures / By

Nic Rigby of the BBC reports: A 38% increase in mental health patients referred to an NHS Trust has hit waiting times, a report has found. The increase in the Norfolk and Waveney area in the December 2014 to February 2015 period – compared with April to June 2014 – resulted in higher staff caseload

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EDP: Norfolk children’s services boss reveals ‘scandal’ over mental health beds for young people

Bed Crisis, CAMHS Crisis, Dangerous, NSFT Cuts, Press, Questions for the Board / By

More important campaigning journalism from our local newspaper, the EDP: Norfolk’s children’s services boss has revealed a lack of available mental health beds for youngsters meant she had to create a makeshift unit in a children’s home, so a 17-year-old could get desperately needed care. And Sheila Lock said a 13-year-old spent a weekend in

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

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

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EDP: Norfolk and Suffolk mental health chief’s salary soars by £35,000 to £175,000 – as service faces stringent budget cuts

Campaigning, CQC Inspection, Financial crisis, NSFT Cuts, PR Crisis, Press, Questions for the Board, Recruitment Crisis, Special Measures / By

Lauren Cope of the EDP reports: A mental health service under severe financial strain raised the salary of its chief executive by £35,000 – as its frontline NHS staff dealt with tough pay cuts. It has faced stringent budget cuts, with the average pay steadily falling from £26,557 in 2010/11 to £21,761 in 2013/14 –

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