North Staffs Users Group

working for better mental health services for the people of North Staffordshire

News

Consultation on changes to services

Hilda, the NSUG’s Service Provider Development Worker, updates you on the proposals to close Bucknall Hospital and the effect this will have on people who use mental health services.

The consultation around Phase 1 started on Monday 8th August.

Phase 1 mostly concerns the closure of Bucknall Hospital, the moving of elderly care services from Bucknall to Ward 6 and Ward 4 at Harplands Hospital. Currently Ward 6 is used for Rehabilitation and the proposal is to move this to the bedded unit at the Sutherland Centre, which means that the beds will no longer be used as they are now. The remaining 24 community beds at Lyme Brook, Ashcombe, and Bennett Centres will be accessed by people across the City, Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands according to need.

The other service affected will be the Parent and Baby Unit, which may move to a more central location, probably in Hanley.

NSUG will be hosting a consultation meeting around Phase 1 on Wednesday 14th September 2–4pm in the big room at the Sutherland Centre. This meeting will be for people who use or have used services at Sutherland Centre, and David Pearson, Barbara Harrison (Business Manager) and Pat Fraser (Patient & Public Involvement Lead) from Combined Healthcare (who have put forward these proposed changes), as well as Commissioners, will also be at the meeting to listen to your comments. The NSUG will be taking notes of all comments to make sure people’s views are taken into account in the consultation process.

Other consultation events (not being run by NSUG) take place at:

If you want to attend any of these events you need to contact the relevant centre to book a place.

If you would like to see the consultation document you can visit www.combined.nhs.uk or call the Communications Team on 08000 328 728.

(posted on 21.08.11)

The Change from Incapacity Benefit to Employment & Support Allowance

NSUG has seen a significant increase in the numbers of people contacting us because they are worried about being assessed for Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), the benefit that is replacing Incapacity Benefit (IB).

We are informing people as much as possible about the changes and have held three members meetings on the topic.

However, because this is a national policy change there is little influence that we as a local group can have. However, if you are unhappy with the new system, and you do want to make your views known, you may want to consider doing one of the following two things …

1. Contact Mind, the national mental health charity:
Mind have launched a campaign regarding benefits and welfare reform and you can get involved by either downloading a Local Campaigner pack to help them raise concerns about welfare and benefits (from www.mind.org.uk); or contacting them and telling them your experience of the welfare system; or becoming a Mind campaigner

Mind can be contacted by writing to 15-19 Broadway, Stratford, London. E15 4BQ; by telephoning 020 8519 2122, or by emailing contact@mind.org.uk

2. Write to your MP:
Local MPs won’t take up issues from us as we are an organisation, so you would need to write to your MP and tell him or her how the changes are affecting you. This is especially important if you live in the Moorlands because your MP, Karen Bradley, is on the Select Committee on Work and Pensions, which examines the policies of that Department.

(posted on 27.07.11)

Brighter Futures’ Newsletter

Emma Ford, the Outreach Worker for Stoke, has been hearing from service users who miss the newsletter that the American Clubhouse used to send out to its members.

Emma has spoken with Brighter Futures, and they have said that although the Clubhouse Newsletter has been replaced by The Star (which tells people about all of Brighter Futures’ projects) they are happy to send this out to people.

Emma has been told that there will be a list in the American where people can leave their details if they would like to receive The Star by post, or they could give their details to Emma and she will pass them on to Brighter Futures

Alternatively they could go to www.brighter-futures.org.uk to sign up to receive an electronic version of the newsletter.

(posted on 27.07.11)

Big Lottery Fund

NSUG has been successful in obtaining a small grant from the Big Lottery to help in recruiting and training volunteers to sit on GP Patient Panels and to make sure that NSUG is part of the changes that are currently going on in the NHS.

This is an important new area of work, as under the new NHS funding arrangements GP's have been given the power to make decisions about what services are provided. Consequently NSUG feel it is now more important than ever to make sure that mental health is kept on everybody's agenda so that it receives a fair level of funding and so that people receive the services that they need to help them with their recovery.

So NSUG will be looking to recruit Group Representatives who are happy to sit on the Patient Panel of their GP surgery and we will train and support them to make sure that Mental Health is a regular topic for meetings and that services are designed with service users in mind and with service user involvement at the start, to make sure that they meet the needs of people who will be using the service.

If you are interested in this new area of work please contact John McKenzie – Volunteer Co-ordinator – for an informal chat about volunteering for NSUG. Email john.mckenzie@nsug.co.uk or speak to him on 01782 683043

(posted on 27.06.11)

envelope
NSUG address:
North Staffs Users Group
The Dudson Centre,
Hope Street,
Hanley,
Stoke on Trent
ST1 5DD

telephone
NSUG telephone:
01782-683043

mailto
NSUG email:
mainoffice@nsug.co.uk