Angela Young Former Vice Chair Manchester Health Link with Hon Mem Christine & Allison Curtis
Press Release – Manchester Users Network
Alleged Criminal Treatment to patients with Severe & Enduring Mental illness!
Criminal Treatment, is how many Mental Health Stakeholders describe the way people who suffer with Severe & Enduring Mental illness are being sent to Prison and are relying on food banks and are homeless, leading to suicide and other premature death, especially in Manchester, after the closure of the Psychiatric Hospital in Central Manchester “Edale”, as Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust are still in debt of £350 000 to Central NHS Manchester Foundation Trust.
The most deplorable action by Manchester City Council is paying nearly £2,000,000 per year via Manchester council taxpayers for an in-patient hospital service that does not exist, according to the elected Chair of Manchester Users’ Network Paul Reed.
The Local Authority is now planning to take fundamental Services under “Recovery & Connect” from the most vulnerable patients with so many who are with high level needs, in order to save £913,000 of the Mental Health Budget. The Services which are under threat in North Manchester are “One to One Support”, Group Therapy, Harpurhey Wellbeing Centre, “The Orangery”(a therapy supervised by “Recovery & Connect”) and the Horticulture Centre at Park House Hospital.
In-patient Services would be most affected and patients would be “Stepped Down”, which is the new term for being discharged from Community Mental Health Teams when patients are still very ill and most in need of Services.
Support Workers from “Recovery & Connect” are integrated within these teams. The Trust we understand, is planning to step down 600-800 patients, and 15 supported houses across the city would lose Support Workers from “Recovery and Connect”.
There are also cuts to be made in Central and South Manchester because of the planned closure of “Recovery and Connect Services”. Patients using these Services are also pensioners, and some of them are near pensionable age or long term patients. Patients of working age have no realistic chance of employment and the most serious risk is that they would wrongly be assessed by Atos and told to claim Job Seekers allowance. They couldn’t keep a working contract and they would end up with no benefit to live on!
Most patients would become a risk to themselves and some of them sadly, a risk to members of the public! Service Users on Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983 are advised to take legal action, though long term patients who have been sectioned for over 20 years ago we have been told, that the Trust do not have any records, although lawfully they would still be under this Section.
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We have been in contact with Cllr Paul Andrews, Executive Member for Adults and Wellbeing and given our reasons for strongly opposing not to cut “Recovery & Connect Services” to the Health Scrutiny Committee, chaired by Cllr Eddy Newman. We will give our reasons at the next Health Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 18th December 2014, at 2.00pm, providing the Chair allows us to speak.
Consultation period has already taken place, of which we have no confidence in this process, because of our previous negative experiences. Manchester MPs have been contacted and patients have asked them to help. Letters have gone to the City Council, numerous copies of which have been e-mailed to the former leader of the Council Graham Stringer MP.
MANCHESTER USERS’ NETWORK.
Contacts
Manchester Users Network Office Telephone: 0161-918-4343
Elected Vice chair Mr Alan Hatman Mob:- 07719102380, Home (0161) 492 0790
Elected chair Paul Reed Mob:- 07748115989
Les Swain, South Manchester Users Group (SMUG) Mob:-07921995479. Chair of SMUG, Service User.
Honourable Member of Manchester Users Network Allison Curtis (0161 681 9082) Carer.
Honourable Member of Manchester Users Network Christine Curtis Mob 07768809899, Carer and Service User
Notice to Editor:
For Immediate Release
There was a Public Meeting at Harpurhey Wellbeing Centre, 93, Church Lane, M9 5BG on Monday 15th December 2014 at 12 noon arranged by Manchester Users’ Network. The meeting was well attended by members of the public, services users , carers and members staff, medical workers, social workers.
The elected Councillor June Hitchen of Miles Platting and Newton Heath Ward ,a member of Manchester City Council Health & Scrutiny Committee attended but said: ” she would not make comment but was there to listen to the debate.”
Angela Young, Mel Jones & Tom Griffiths
The Harpurhey meeting was chaired By Elected chair of Manchester Users Network Paul Reed.
The meeting was addressed by elected vice chair Mr Alan Hartman of Manchester Users Network, who gave a history of events which proceeded the public meeting being called. Alan Hartman and MUN chair will attend Thursdays meeting at Manchester Town Hall. All union elected representatives and service user , carer groups are all advised to also attend this Manchester City Council Scrutiny & Health Committee meeting starting at 2pm prompt on Thursday 18 Th December, 2014 .
All members of the public should attend the meeting or find out if your councillor is to vote for these closures and massive cuts to Manchester’s chronic mental health problems . Manchester; where one in three GP consultations now concerns mental health issues . This must now mandate no further cuts to the day centres, which should be used more economically by their communities with good effects. Manchester Mental Health services are already in ruins, further cuts will lead to deaths.
(photo)Honourable Members of Manchester Users Network Christine Curtis & Allison Curtis gather with members of the public & Harpurhey Wellbeing Centre services users .Proposed cuts to ‘Recovery & Connect’ mental health services which many see as the last straw in cuts to Manchester mental health services.
Invited guests included 1st speaker leading mental health solicitors Mathieu Culverhouse a associate member of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors 2nd speaker: Author & Manchester Social Worker Mel Jones 3rd speaker Tom Griffiths Community Worker, 4th speaker Mr Les Swain Chair South Manchester Users Group (SMUG) 5th speaker Allison Curtis: Hon Mem Manchester Users Network. All speakers answered questions from the large gathering of concerned Manchester people. Credit: Munreporter Follow Us TWITTER @MUNReporter & @munreporterscoo Please subcribe to Manchester Users Network daily on line newspaper The Munreporter Scoop Daily & “Make Every Day A MUN Day”
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