Questions To North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group :
Representatives of Manchester Users Network will today attend a meeting of the North Manchester Commissioning Group. MUN have submitted a list of questions that individual services users have asked to be put forward to today’s meeting of the North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group . Here is the list:-
Manchester Users’ Network
Questions and serious concerns to the Chair of North Manchester CCG board meeting on Wednesday 12th March 2014.
1] Why are mental health day services not being commissioned for people with long term mental illness (Severe & Enduring Mental illness)?
2] Have the CCG decided not to commission services for long term patients in the community via a policy of the Department of Health or the secretary state for Health?
3] Previously the MMH&SCT promised long term community patients and in-patients after “Mainway” was closed (Industrial therapy), contrary to the needs of patients to have a list of service needs put in place, but this was not done! Should it not be incumbent on the independent sector to provide these services in instead of Mainway so that there can be proper integration and working together?
4] Commissioners just buying services with short term treatment, based on reablement policies, example (Patients are only allowed a service for one year or even six months) to meet patients long term mental health needs. Service Users and their carers have expressed how nonsensical, discharging patients that are ill and put at risk! Patients can be assessed by Atos, by a none mental health Professional (Work Capability Assessment) and assumed they are fit for work, they lose most of their benefit and even travel passes, which puts them at high risk of being readmitted to hospital and worse still suicide! Why is the reason not put in writing to the service user that they are unable to meet their needs, because treatment or therapy is only allowed for six months etc. Rather claiming they are cured from severe & enduring mental illness and discharged?
5] When patients lose secondary mental health services because of the closures or stepped down (discharged) from the CMHTs when still in need or become ill shortly after and GPs step the patients back up (refer them back to the CMHTs). What is the expected time for the patients to be reassessed?
6] Why was there an attempt to discharge me from Manchester Mental health & Social Care Trust, as my needs had not changed since I had been a patient for decades and became ill immediately afterwards? Why does the CCG allow this to happen to myself and to other long term patients as this apparently leads to a false economy? (A.S.)
7] We have considerable evidence that patients are not being informed about CPA s and are being discharged without the proper medical and social assessment of their needs and the CPA Manager has admitted that 99% of patients on a CPA have not made any comments on the actual Care Plan as what has been said on it is disputed by many patients.
8] Care Plans outside the CPA system of the Trust are ignored as treatment. GPs need to approve them. This leads to great exploitation of vulnerable patients for example patients on a CPA will be classed as a Service User receiving Treatment (therapeutic work) at Harpurhey Well Being Centre. Other patients are not classified as service Users, but as voluntary workers. This puts their benefits at risk for personal care via Atos assessment, and puts these patients at risk of suicide and being readmitted as an in-patient, which is costly. NB. See welfare report on Mental Health.
9] Patients are not being informed when they have a different Consultant psychiatrist by Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust.AC & CC.
10] To endeavour to discharge me due to short term treatment would cause me to become ill, and I would end up back in hospital after many years in the community! (Anon.).
11] How can GPs provide secondary mental health care to long term patients, when they are not specifically qualified in psychiatry and have not got the time to appropriately assess them? (A.V & A.S).
12] We support a Charter for Mental Health which should be a part of the contracts with service providers and must be workable and legally binding (Action taken when infringed)
Statement by the chair MUN, Paul Reed.
“As a direct result of ‘Patient’ (Services Users) receiving some of the poorest commissioned mental health care in the country , Manchester services user groups have been working with MACC and other mental health support groups on a Manchester Mental Health Charter; which already holds the support of Manchester Services User groups and carer groups and is presently seeking pursuant to further consultation with ‘Services Users’ and the Manchester People and which will eventually give legally binding protections from discrimination because of mental disability and should contractually enlist all members of staff who work for the three Manchester commissioning Groups who commission for Manchester mental health services for patients within their remit.”
13] It seems unfair that you do not give us, the Service Users, notice when you ask us questions, but expect us to give you notice, when we ask you questions. How do you reconcile this? (J. A.)
14] There are rumours that Laureate House will be closed when the contract ends with the Private Finance Initiative, putting even more pressure on Park House Hospital, causing people to be referred miles from where they live. Can you give us a definitive answer to this unconfirmed speculation?
Today’s meeting is at 2pm at the following venue: Ancoats Primary Care Centre Old Mill Street Ancoats Manchester M4 6EE.
North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Reply To Manchester Users Network’s Questions : http://www.manchester.nhs.uk/document_uploads/north-ccg/PAPERAmarchpublic.pdf @MUNReporter
Patients Put Questions To North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group ! added by manchesterusersnetwork on
View all posts by manchesterusersnetwork →
