Campaigners renew calls for NSFT to be 'disbanded' following council meeting

A report last year revealed the NSFT lost track of the number of patient deaths under their care

Campaigners outside Westminster
Author: Tom ClabonPublished 19th Jan 2024

Local campaigners are renewing calls for a mental health service in Norfolk and Suffolk to be 'disbanded' after they failed to fully explain how they're planning to improve.

Bosses of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) yesterday met with councillors -to discuss improvement, following a report that was released last year, that revealed the trust failed to keep track of the number of patient deaths under their care.

"It's institutionally dysfunctional"

Mark Harrison is from the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk:

"The NSFT sent along a new member of staff who had no history with all of this.

"Everything they said was treated with scepticism by the members there and this all treats the County Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee with contempt.

"The Government must disband NSFT because it's institutionally dysfunctional. They must implement immediately a independent statutory Inquiry into the deaths here.

"Empty promises"

"The NSFT has lost the authors of 'Forever Gone' who produced a very critical report based on their analysis of the Grant Thorton report because all the things that were promised have been revealed to be empty promises.

"They Forever Gone say they have been gas-lighted. The chair read out a statement from them at the end of the meeting explaining why they walked away from the process, mentioning the arrogance of the NSFT and the Integrated Care Board.

"They are now having nothing to do with the process."

What has the NSFT said?

The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust says there's been a significant amount of work undertaken and progress is being made.

They'll be back in County Hall in the spring.

You can read more about the improvement's the trust is introducing here.

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