PPlog

Norfolk and Suffolk Mental Health Trust. Yes indeed, this is a two county trust - each one a huge county in its own right. Before Christmas the trust announced it intends to cut 502 of its 2,128 posts “in order to balance its books” (Eastern Daily Press 24/01/13). Of these posts, quite a few are ‘senior clinicians.’Hospital beds (psychiatric) have already been drastically cut and, for several months now the loss of beds has meant quite a few people admitted against their will under the Mental Health Act (’sectioned’) have had to have been sent to other hospitals outside the counties. This had long been criticised as bad practice by the now defunct Mental Health Commission (MHC) but the Care Quality Commission which took over the MHC’s responsibilities seems not to have the heart to hurt the feelings of today’s mental health trusts. But who fancies being pounced on, needled in the bum and dragged into hospital - another grouch of mine is that today’s Approved Mental Health Professionals