Mental illness is 27% of health need but in England receives only 13% of NHS funding. Almost 2000 mental health beds have closed in England in the last two years.
In Salford, Greater Manchester North West Mental Health Foundation Trust (GMW) is planning a `re-design' which involves cutting older adult mental health in-patient services, slashing the number of beds available for people with dementia, acute anxiety and depression by almost a half, and closing the Claremont ward at Meadowbrook in order to `re-locate' it, with less beds, miles away at Woodlands in Little Hulton.
Meanwhile, Salford Council has cut `floating' support to those with mental health issues and is raising the room rent for drop-in support groups.
The picture is similar nationally, with tens of thousands of service users with long-term conditions such as schizophrenia and severe depression being discharged back to GP-only care. In Greater Manchester, police chief Peter Fahy believes GMP spends a quarter of its time dealing with mental health issues. This is work that previously may well have been done by mental health workers.
"Unemployment, benefit cuts, Bedroom Tax, pressure to work, lack of social, educational and recreational facilities are all added stresses to people's lives" states the organisers of the Crisis In Mental Health public meeting which is happening next Saturday in Manchester.
"We are a group of users, carers, workers, people interested in stopping health and social care cuts in mental health services in Greater Manchester" it adds "We believe these cuts to mental health services are not known to the majority of people. We have called this meeting to draw people's attention to these cuts and to campaign against them, linking up some of the local anti-cuts campaigns."
Speakers at the meeting include Dr Rich Moth of SWAN (Social Work Action Network), Professor Sue Bailey, a recent president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Karen Reissmann, UNISON National executive (in a personal capacity) and a carer from Rethink, the Stockport Mental Health Carers Group.
The meeting is supported from Salford by Salford City UNISON and USUC (United Service Users Committee), joining other groups like Bolton Save Our NHS and Manchester User Network.
Public Meeting
Crisis In Mental Health
Saturday 22nd November 12:30-2pm
Cross Street Chapel, Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL
For further details see the Facebook Event Page – click here
See also previous related Salford Star articles...
* Patients Will Die Say Campaigners - click here
* Salford Marches Against Cuts To Mental Health Services - click here
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