Manchester CCG’s & Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust To Appear in Court

The Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust and Manchester (3) Clinical Commissioning Groups are accused of failing in their duty to disabled and disadvantaged people in the city by the planned closures .

Bench Mark building

Outside Bench Mark Nell Lane, one of the services under threat of closure

 

 

Press Release : Issued By Manchester Users’ Network:

For Immediate Release: –

In the Civil Justice Centre in Manchester.

 

A Court action on Friday 24 Th June, 2016 prevented Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust from taking any further action to close 8 (eight) services including discharging service user’s or proceeding with planned staff redundancies.

The Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust and Manchester’s (3) Clinical Commissioning Groups are accused of failing in their duty to disabled and disadvantaged people in the city by the planned closures .

A full hearing will take place 26th 27th July 2016 at the Civil Justice Centre in Manchester.

The application claims that the trust breached its duty under the public sector equality act by failing to consider how the closures would affect disabled and other disadvantaged people.

That it had made the decision to close the services before public consultation and that it failed to provide the public with all the information required to respond to it.

The applicant also claims that the clinical commissioning groups responsible for commissioning mental health services in the city, failed in their public duty to consider the health needs of the city by decommissioning the services.  {END}

john-harrop

Below demonstrates how Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust presently describes on it’s website (here) the life supporting work that Bench Mark archives for its service users. Bench Mark, was also described by one of the Trust own directors; John Harrop, Director of Strategy, Transformation and Performance and Deputy Chief Executive (herein Pictured) in a written report he made the case that Bench Mark was very much a commercially viable organisation.

Also on the Trust website is a glowing report by a Bench Mark customer ‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ who said:-

“TCT is recognised nationally for delivering high quality and has a reputation for designing to finite detail. Benchmark Furniture Design and Build were integral to this project and helped us to deliver an outstanding unit. We very much look forward to working with them again in the future.”

Teenage Cancer Trust November 2009.benchmark1

(Here photograph) A1  craftsmanship produced built  by service users Reception furniture made at  Benchmark.

Service user say on the Trust website how the service helps them in   comment’s made on the site:-

‘Benchmark helped me to regain my confidence’

‘It is an important stepping stone on for me’

‘Benchmark made me feel part of a team’

Other services which are also under threat of closing include Employment Support, Perinatal Care, Complex Mood Disorders, Psychosexual and Creative Wellbeing as well as Bench Mark.

In 2012 Manchester Users Network members were represented by top London public law specialist Louise Whitfield  {solicitor} a partner with Deighton Pierce Glynn who stopped the Trust then from trying to close services  with a judicial review   . The same solicitors last Friday in the high courts secured time for the case against the three Manchester CCG’s and Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust to be heard within a judicial review later this month.  Services Users who wish to support the case may wish to attend the courts on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th July 2016. (Details will be published on the MUN REPORTER website nearer the date).

Members of the public have supported our campaign to keep our services going with donations to support the cost of printing posters. Please contact members of MUN if you would like  to support our campaign. Below is a poster that’s been produced by service user to help fight against service closures, closures which we and our many,many supporters believe to be illegal.

Follow the Campaign on Facebook: MANCHESTER DESERVES BETTER

Deighton Pierce Glynn has offices in London and Bristol

Follow On Twitter: @dpg_law   @MUNReporter

Email: manchesterusersnetwork@hotmail.co.uk for details on how to make a donation. “It’s time to be heard”.

CUTS_MUN_Posters_1-STOP-For_Web_Use

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