Angry campaigners are taking action against proposed further cuts to mental health services in Stockport – despite promises that a further £2million will invested.
Public service union Unison is leading the campaign against cuts to community services that they say are already suffering from chronic underfunding.
Unison have organised a public meeting in Stockport Town Hall tomorrow at 7pm to campaign against the proposed £650,000 cuts.
Rebecca Guy works in mental health services as well as being a steward for Unison.
She said: “We aren’t proposing that the budget is taken from any other service but we don’t accept that the cuts have to happen.
“Last year a total of £2.2billion was taken from NHS funding and given back to the government.”
However the topic is proving controversial as Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is opposing this campaign and in a complete reversal, are promising investments instead of cuts to the mental health sector.
A spokesperson for Stockport CCG said: “In two weeks the Governing Body will consider proposals to invest an additional £2million in mental health.”
Although Stockport CCG are responsible for the yearly budget, the distribution of this budget to each department of health care is the responsibility of Pennine Care NHS.
Stan Boaler, Mental Health Service Director for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “All public sector organisations across the country are required to make financial efficiencies annually, which equates to around £8million every year for Pennine Care.
“The Trust’s community mental health teams have not been subject to a service redesign for two years but we must continually redesign our service models to ensure we can meet the needs of our most vulnerable service users.
“Our priorities are to ensure that the quality and safety of patient care are not compromised and every service redesign is subject to a quality impact assessment and staff consultation, involving union representatives such as UNISON.”
If the cuts do happen they would account for 25% of the current budget and would affect all departments of health care.
A Unison spokesman said: “Figures from NHS England 2012/2013 highlight that Stockport is the richest CCG within this area.
“However other statistics show that it is the lowest funder of mental health services across the Pennine footprint, spending just 6.9% of its budget on mental health services.”
In response, a spokesperson from CCG said: “The figures quoted are neither comparable nor accurate; Unison were informed previously that the information used in the article is inaccurate.
“The statement that Stockport CCG is the richest CCG is again not accurate. CCGs receive funding based on the size of their population and the health need of that population.
“As Stockport has the largest population then it receives the highest funding. Most recent Department of Health figures show that Stockport currently receives £15million less funding than it should do.”
Speakers at the campaign in Stockport Town Hall will include Shadow Health Minister Andrew Gwynne MP, Head of Health Unison NW Paul Foley, Stockport Unison branch secretary Angela Raynor, mental health care professionals and patients.
For more information about the campaign click here.
Picture courtesy of Adam Bruderer, with thanks.
