SOCIAL CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE DEVASTATION
Crisis in Mental Health and Social Care Conference
Saturday 14th March 11am-3pm
Manchester Methodist Hall
Mental health beds axed, budgets cut, people forced off benefits or sanctioned… Social care privatised, care packages cut and visits down to 15 minutes and less. All these issues and more are to be discussed at the North West Mental Health and Social Care Conference next week, followed by workshops in how to fight the cuts.
“People’s lives are at risk…”
The figures are stark and there is a crisis, as set out in the publicity for next week’s Crisis in Mental Health and Social Care Conference…
…`Over two thousand mental health beds closed in the last three years. People sectioned are admitted to hospitals miles away from their homes. People with long term conditions being discharged to GP-only care…
`Mental health is 27% of health need but receives only 13% of health funding. Even if mental health funding was doubled, it would still not quite have parity with physical ill health care.
`Social care has also been devastated by 37% cuts in local government funding. Much is made of the cost of the growing number of elderly people. But 850,000 less elderly people are receiving social home care in England than were receiving it in 2010. Many of those who do still get care, receive 15 minute visits or less from staff paid minimum wages.’
Meanwhile, `people with mental health problems are being demonised by a benefit system beset with targets and systems which discriminate against them. Many have been forced off benefits by the dreaded ATOS and sanctions’.
“Mental health services and benefits have been cut to ribbons” says Karen Reissmann, one of the conference organisers “People’s lives are at risk. This conference brings together users, carers, staff and interested parties to say `Enough is enough’, and demand that mental health funding is doubled to bring it in line with physical ill health.”
There’s lots of speakers on the issues, including Professor Phil Thomas of the Critical Psychiatry Network, Naomi James of the National Survivor User Network, Dr Ramkisson, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Robert Punton of Disabled People Against the Cuts and Alan Hartman of the Manchester Users Network.
There are also workshops on the Demonisation of People on Benefits, Racism and Mental Health and How To Organise Against Mental Health and Social Care Cuts which will be co-led by Salford USUC (United Service Users Committee).
The Conference is supported by loads of local groups too, including Salford City UNISON, Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public, the Anti Bedroom Tax Federation and the Bolton, Salford and Trafford UNISON Mental Health branch.
Crisis in Mental Health and Social Care Conference
Saturday 14th March 11am-3pm free
Manchester Methodist Hall
Oldham Street
Manchester M1 1JQ
Everyone is welcome to attend
For further details see the Crisis in Mental Health and Social Care Conference Facebook page click here