Fears For Stornoway Mental Health Services

Clients and workers of Penumbra will have to wait until the end of April to find out whether the mental health charity will be axing its Stornoway based services.

Penumbra – a leading Scottish voluntary organisation working in the field of mental health – and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar are currently, jointly, reviewing present arrangements and possible service redesign.

This follows Penumbra identifying future sustainability issues in relation to the current funding levels for the service.

Although unwilling to state as fact that Penumbra will be pulling its supported living services from the Western Isles, chief executive Nigel Henderson did comment: “One option is that it may not be Penumbra that provides this service in the future.”

He added: “We are working with our staff, service users and social work staff to ensure that the support provided to people with mental health problems in the Western Isles continues to meet people’s needs now and in the future.”

Established in 1985, Penumbra has provided services in the Western Isles since 1991, and at present receive £140,000 a year from the local authority who currently commission them on behalf of the Community Health and Social Care Partnership.

A range of services for people with mental health support needs are provided, entailing practical and emotional support to people in the community so that they can live a more independent life.

Fears of the future welfare of such clients is now being felt, as one person said: “Emotional wellbeing should be at the heart of the community. Service users have developed beneficial, secure relationships with workers and they are panicked that this is ending.”

In response to worries, Mr Henderson said: “The paramount concern for both ourselves and the council is for the service users and workers. We want to make sure the right service is being delivered in the right way for the future.”

Iain Macaulay, the Comhairle’s Director of Social and Community Services expanded that the review of Penumbra services will focus on how to ensure the future provision and proposals for consultation with service users, NHS Western Isles and other key stakeholders such as Western Isles Association for Mental Health (WIAMH).

He said: “It is likely that the review will be completed before the end of April following consultation with key stakeholders, staff and service users and any service redesign proposals will need to be considered and approved by the Joint Services Committee.

“The needs of service users will be central to these discussions.”

Mr Macaulay continued: “As the commissioner the Comhairle has responsibility for these services currently provided by Penumbra and as such the difference would be how the service is actually delivered.

“The Comhairle will continue to meet its duty to provide appropriate community care services for people requiring this type of service. Community Care staff carry out regular reviews of care packages and will continue to do this for current service users of Penumbra.”

Chair of WIAMH, Niall Shaw, commented on the developing situation: “Naturally the concern is that the level of service be retained, and we hope in fact this will be the case,” he said.

“Given that it’s very early stages though it is difficult to say with any certainty, but we hope primarily that there is simply a change of management and the services remain.”

At present Catch 23, a drop-in service to aid those with mental health issues run by WIAMH, is operated from the Penumbra owned Stornoway premises on Bayhead Road.

Commenting on how the axing of Penumbra services in the Western Isles could affect the project, Mr Shaw explained that he had been informed by Mr Henderson that there are no current plans regarding the future of the building.

“We have no plans to alter our service in any way – the drop-in will be open for the foreseeable future,” he said.

“We are funded separately and are funded to provide the services we do. In the worst case scenario we’d have to move premises, but even then there would be no change in the drop-in services we offer.”