Campaign launched against mental health cuts in Sheffield
UNISON is condemning savings which they claim will reduce services for vulnerable people in the city
A campaign's launching in Sheffield against government cuts to mental health services.
It's been organised by health union UNISON, which has joined with staff and users of local mental health to condemn cost savings of at least 15 percent which they claim will reduce services for vulnerable people.
Figures obtained by the union from Public Health England show suicides have increased by 37.5 percent and self harm stays by 16.5 percent in the city.
"The hidden cost is to service users who are waiting longer for assessment and wards becoming less safe, with the local NHS Trust now being in the bottom quarter nationally", says Melanie Rogers, a mental health campaigner who suffered with post natal depression.
"This vulnerable group are no less important than anyone else yet face cuts, delay and uncertainty."
Sue Highton from UNISON says: 'We have qualified, experienced and talented mental health staff leaving the service as they feel it is unsafe and they simply have not got the time or resources to provide the care they believe service users deserve.
"One example is a colleague quitting to run a fishing tackle shop because they felt they could not do their job anymore, what a waste of talent and ability."
The campaign is calling on the Government to put more funding into mental health services without taking money from elsewhere in the NHS.
A public meeting is taking place in Sheffield tonight.
In a statement, Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) says it has been implementing new models of in-patient care for mental health service users, with the result that far fewer Sheffield residents are being sent out of city for treatment.
The Trust says all NHS services need to ensure that they are financially sustainable, and have to deliver efficiency savings every year.
As SHSC looks at its financial plans over the next three years, it is looking more fundamentally at how it delivers community mental health services, and is developing clinical pathways to ensure that SHSC has the most effective and efficient model of care.
Dr Mike Hunter, Clinical Director, In-patient and Community Directorates, said: “We are fully committed to creating models of care which support service users’ recovery in their local community.
"Strengthening community provision will lead to less service users requiring admission to hospital. We fully appreciate that some service users and staff have anxieties about the changes that we will be making to current provision.
"We are committed to working in partnership with our service users and staff and will ensure that regular communication and engagement takes place.”
-RA