Watchdog Chief Blasts Mental Health Delays

The chairman of Cambridgeshire’s health watchdog has blasted the Department of Health for failing to respond to concerns about mental health cuts.

Councillor Geoff Heathcock criticised its “snail-pace performance” in dealing with a formal referral of cuts worth about £3 million – a response has still not been received nine weeks after the department was informed.

Cambridgeshire’s health and adult social care scrutiny committee referred the cutbacks to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt in February after they were approved by Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).

Committee members expressed concern over the scale and impact of the changes which are due to result in permanent ward closures and a greater focus on community-based provision. It hoped to force a rethink on the controversial plans – which also included closing the popular Young People’s Service – but has not yet received a response.

Councillor Heathcock said: “We wrote to the Department of Health (DoH) about our concerns on Friday, February 10, and while we have received an acknowledgement to our letter, we are still awaiting a detailed response to the concerns we raised. I’m disappointed by what is clearly a snail-paced perform – ance by the DoH, particularly as m a ny of the service reductions have already started to be put in place in Cambridgeshire.

” We believe these cuts will have a serious impact on health care provision in Cambridgeshire and create more pressure on health and social care support provided by other organisations in the county.”

A spokeswoman for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust said a decision on the referral was not expected until May, due to Parliament’s Easter recess.  he PCTs said they were also still awaiting Mrs Hewitt’s decision.

Karen Mason, director of communications, said: “In the meantime, no permanent action can be taken to implement the decision of the PCTs’ boards, although we continue to w ork with the mental health trust to make plans for the service changes.”

A statement from Mrs Hewitt said: “I am currently considering all the evidence from the county council and the local NHS before making my decision. It would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.”

The future of mental health services in Cambridgeshire has been in jeopardy for months. The debate reached crisis point in December last year when 27 mental health consultants wrote to the Newsto voice their concerns at proposed cuts which they claimed would leave some of society’s most vulnerable people high and dry.

The cuts were originally forecast when local PCTs announced a predicted deficit of £18 million last year and warned they had to save £3 million on mental health services. They said they were spending £4 million more than they were allocated on mental health and put forward 15 proposals in conjunction with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership Trust. They included ward closures, service reorganisations, the end of the dementia drugs service and a greater emphasis on care in the community.

But many people, including the mental health consultants, said suicide and violence would increase.