On 11th February, I received the news that our local mental health trust, the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), has been taken out of special measures. The NSFT has been arguably the worst performing mental health trust since its creation a decade or so ago, and so, whilst this marks some progress, it must be regarded as a first step, not ‘job done’.
Along with Alice Macdonald, MP for Norwich North, I issued the following statement:
“For the best part of a decade, the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has failed thousands of people, with terrible consequences.
“This news that NSFT has left special measures marks some welcome progress, but the challenge for NSFT is now to ensure this is a first step towards sustained, long-term improvement.
“It remains the case that many people in our region are yet to feel this progress in their lived experience of mental health care, with many still recounting tragic personal stories of institutional failure.
“In recent months we have met with the NSFT leadership, government ministers, and service users to discuss how we can solve our region’s mental health crisis, and we will continue to hold NSFT to account - this is far from being ‘job done’”.
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