Mental health cuts attacked

6:35pm Thursday 25th May 2006

Planned cuts to mental health care spending in Hertfordshire have been rejected by the county council which has taken the unusual step of referring the plans to health secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Hertfordshire Partnership Trust, which provides mental health services for a third of patients in Hertsmere, has been asked to cut its budget by £5 million (five per cent) next year in order to pay for NHS debts elsewhere.

But campaigners and councillors at a health scrutiny committee meeting at County Hall last week attacked the plans.

The committee heard from mental health care workers concerned at the impact the cuts could have on the mentally ill and their families.

It was decided that the case for the cuts had not been satisfactorily proven and the commitee expressed concern that a full risk assessment study had not been carried out.

Michael Downing, chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee, said: "We believe that five per cent is an arbitrary figure and we don't see any reason why the people of Hertfordshire should be punished when mental health and learning disability services in Hertfordshire and elsewhere have always been grossly underfunded."

County Councillor Allan Witherick, a health scrutiny committee member, said: "The heartfelt pleas of carers and voluntary groups across Hertfordshire have reinforced how ill thought out these proposals are."

David Grayson, chair of the Hertfordshire Partnership Patient and Public Involvement Forum, said: "We are very pleased the scrutiny committee have realised there are serious issues regarding the level of risk and the impact on patients. It is fairly unusual for the committee to make a referral of this kind."

Mr Grayson expressed concern that a final decision could be dragged out for months but added: "The ball is in the secretary of state's court."

Mrs Hewitt may now choose to refer the matter to an independent panel for review.

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