The NHS Financial Warp Drive - Fuelled by CRES

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NHS Trusts are not very forthcoming about where and how they generate Cash Release Efficiency Savings (CRES) . We at UserWatch are aware that some of those (CRES) have been accruing as eventual NHS Foundation Trust "surpluses"....

CRES can be generated by several means and not just "demand management" which pans out at rationing patient care . That for sure is one method though .

Other methods are negotiating supplies of drugs more cheaply and another is negotiating other supplies like power more cheaply .

Income can also be generated on attracting patients into a special areas of care and treatments should FT Trusts be good at that .

CRES can be generated by saving the money on Payment By Results tariff's being applied per case and since cases have averaged out costs if a Trusts can come in under that, cash is released as "efficient" savings....

We hope to dig in more on this later as information about specific Trust's financial habits develops .

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Therapy Wars : CBT Parrot Squad Partially Slips Off Its Stand

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By UserWatch And The "Rivers Clan"

Its probably best to just show the article showing UK research that shows up CBT to be very lightweight therapy. Ineffective for psychoses, and pretty much dubious for depressions

We are not surprised its falling off its perch since the planners and influencers over Labour took over from where Patient Choice may have guided far better . Some of the influencers were upper class circles of professors down south connected to MH charities and in the London areas and for sure they have a right to their view .

Patient's in mental health though have a human right to choice of therapy without it being imposed on them by undemocratic elites that Labour happen to know and have trusted ..

"Trust me I am a patient" John Reid's line from a July 2003 keynote speech was largely an abdicated position in mental health .. We think it still is . The choice mechanism is barely existent in MH .

The State cannot drive quality of therapies that recover people - Patients have to do that without the crushing monopoly of the NHS always in the way .. The NHS should be one area of choice and that is all .. It should stop being an idealised position furnishing more bureacarcy , more centralism and more State ..

CreditFor the Article Below Goes To PSYORG.COM


Evidence That Cognitive Therapy Is Of No Value In Schitzophrenia

June 26th, 2009

"News-Research co-led by an academic at the University of Hertfordshire, concludes that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is of no value in schizophrenia and has limited effect on depression. Professor Keith Laws, at the University's School of Psychology, is one of the lead authors on a paper entitled: Cognitive behavioural therapy for major psychiatric disorder: does it really work? A meta-analytical review of well-controlled trials, which has just been published online in the journal Psychological Medicine. The paper reviews the use of CBT in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression.

The results of the review suggest that not only is CBT ineffective in treating schizophrenia and in preventing relapse, it is also ineffective in preventing relapses in bipolar disorder.

The review also suggests that CBT has only a weak effect in treating depression, but it has a greater effect in preventing relapses in this disorder.

The authors focused particularly on methodologically rigorous trials that compared CBT to a ‘psychological placebo' and also investigated the impact of ‘blinding', i.e. whether or not the people who assessed the patients knew if they were receiving active treatment or not. Both factors are considered essential before a drug treatment is approved for use in psychiatric disorders.

The authors noted that not a single trial employing both blinding and psychological placebo has found CBT to be effective in schizophrenia and surprisingly few well-controlled studies of CBT in depression.

"The results of this review are important because in March NICE re-approved CBT for use in all people with schizophrenia. The Government is also investing millions of pounds to provide CBT for depression and anxiety in 250 dedicated therapy centres across England," said Professor Laws. "Yet the evidence here is that the effectiveness of this form of therapy may be less than previously thought, to the point of being non-existent in schizophrenia."

The other authors of the paper are Professor Peter McKenna, Benito Menni Complex Assistencial en Salut Mental, Barcelona and Dr Damian Lynch, University of Glasgow.

More information: Cognitive behavioural therapy for major psychiatric disorder: does it really work? A meta-analytical review of well-controlled trials, Psychological Medicine, Cambridge University Press, doi:10.1017/S003329170900590X

Source: University of Hertfordshire (news : web)

Norma Jean Holds Out Her Orphan Arms For Michael

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By Art De Rivers NowPublic.com

There is no doubt in my mind at all that "magical" people are often constructed by tragedy . I often write as a poet-artist that "Magic and Tragic" are two sides of a law and coin - that rule, purchase, and imply each other .

Magical people have internal childlike worlds powered by unmet needs for love from this parent or that parent or whatever parent was supposed to be the place of proper nurture and they sometimes have the transforming power of imagination to become exotically adaptive. Its a defensive self rescue in them that burns as it develops .

They are sometimes even perverse . Pushed to perform . Pushed to finally try to compensate for a part of themselves that is locked in an unending internal struggle for a perfect unity with a parent that never really felt or saw them properly .

They are incomplete, made by a combined depth of little empathic recognition and pain and they spiral into a Self of show and special trajectories of what passes for authentic recognition of themselves.

Human comets : Norma Jean , Judy Garland , John Lennon , Michael Jackson . We know them. They come and pass amongst us ... Orbits of pain and wonder .

As a poet-artist I am content to envision that the spirit of Michael Jackson and his woes should meet Norma Jean and share stories about being orphaned and empty .

That somewhere over the painbow, a realm of wisdom lies that allows their light blue shadows to weep what they never could as children .... I'll be with them in my heart .

And if such a special realm never exists outside of all of us, then maybe we can have a little compassion for everyone who is flawed . Maybe we can invent an empathic reception too of pain and recognition and sit by Norma Jean and Michael Jackson inside ourselves and recognise some of their reflections, in us ..

We can create a place of redemption . You see, we are all actually magical .

Michael :

Everyone dances by the river Styx

With flaws and with the crutches

Of the

Crucifix...

A Public Dogology To Lord Brett Best CBT Practitioner In The UK

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USERWATCH SENDS IN DEG THE DOG TO DOGOLOGISE

After The Guardian spatt on a Welfare Reform article

By Jonathon Ruthford

with Brett the Best

This dogology above was called for .

By the Way - CBT :

Cheek Behavioural Therapy is available

At USERWATCH ROOMS

(Look what we do for that Silvis Rivers ...)

Wicked exchanges below noted from the Guardian .

LORD BRETT :

Good article, good thread and I fully agree with 99% of posters, however,

Silvisrivers@

"neck bolting cogbottery of CBT"

As a CBT therapist myself, I`d be interested in a more informed discussion as to your seeming distaste of this approach, rather than the concern I assume you have (which I share with many) that it (like anything else) be abused for dubious political ends. Put simply, Is it the therapy you dislike or how it can be abused

SILVIS RIVERS :

Lord Brett

Silvis Rivers ! Your 1% per cent disagreement figure here !

There's a sketch of a mental health User colleague - Yep - a neck bolted cogbottery success story

SEE HERE : So seee I have an evidence base Lord Brett

However , Welfare and Reform, and CBT supply eh ? .. Oh yes, many do know they are all woven policies

The supply sides of therapy up and down the country available through PCT's , Trusts and GP surgeries are coming on stream with the £173 million of Govt funding over several years.

The Govt took it upon themselves to push CBT – it was endorsed of course as part of the welfare to work reforms by Dick Layard (LSE) to get people back to work and some very simplistic things were claimed of it like 10 – 12 sessions would see many thousands go back to work as CBT successes.

I believe this approach was flawed at many levels both therapeutic and at the recognition of individualised need for therapy help and personal pace. Personalised services were the kinds of things we were promised which have been overtaken by large planning and system delivery gurus ..

There was plenty of supply sides (unharnessed) for therapies already in the private sector and if MH patients had had a patient choice culture through say local purchasing (GP level) then slowly a culture of decent therapies would have taken root and the useless practitioners would have been weeded out by patient satisfaction being measured at a local level ..

There's no competition with the State so the State cannot claim a Patient Choice culture and in mental health as I say we were promised Patient Choice and better personalised budgets for recovery and we've seen bagger all that cuts the mustard, and now we are getting welfare deformed-reform oppression

The Mild to Moderate depressive category of those out of work who were going to be the first candidates of CBT is another example the strange language of system driven welfare reform bureacracy . People with depression present differently with different reasons for being depressed and many (excluding Bipolar) have years of compressed misery and likely or not special events they need to emotionally alleiviate and resolve ..

CBT as its promoted is simplistic and its going to be played with by graduate-workers employed by the NHS… That is wrong …

After 36 years of seeing mental health suffering of all varieties I can honestly say I think that's a mistake and there are plenty of skilled practitioners out their in the market place where Patient's could get a real choice to find ways to resolve their pain , depression and misery .. The money was there in 2004 but the Govt saw fit to create NIMHE (now defunct) which went on to spend in excess of £100 million. I see that as a major loss of treatment opportunity for people who needed therapy choices years ago .. The market was left untapped and even alienated by the insistence it come under Govt control through the Health Professions Council despite bodies like UKCP and BACP and others having adequate ethical comittees and complaint processes.

CBT is not Patient Choice - its being used for State dominion - Neither in my opinion is it a depth approach to resolve difficult emotional pains and states by actually feeling them towards resolution and integration, which is an emotionally realistic way to deal with most of the human condition.

Its a lightweight application with limited scope and I think many MH patients and people in the community will be shortchanged by it - if its allied to deeper emotional approaches and acceptances of peoples feelings, and feeling states towards resolution, then maybe it will become useful because then it creates a place for recognition of feelings - proportionality of reaction, and past and present and how one can serve to whip up reactions in the other .

I do hope you like my evidence base ..

Silvis Rivers

USERWATCH & COGBOTTERY EVIDENCE BASE

LORD BRETT :

Silvisrivers

yes I like your `evidence-base`. It made me smile and that is always welcome in my book.

I share your scepticism at the new use of CBT and the almost factory-style production of `fast-track` IAPT practitioners who will be as limited in their ability in all likelihood as their rushed training implies.

However, those of us who trained a while ago and took many years to do it, including starting with a nursing qualification and many years of experience in that field too might feel slightly irritated that because CBT has been co-opted by NuLab, many people including sad to say, your good self view it as lightweight and trivial as the politicians who seem to push its use.

This view of CBT as not addressing `real issues` and a `quick fix` simply reveals a lack of knowledge of the subject and is in a sense, as lightweight, uninformed and thin a dismissal as the behaviour of those you claim to despise.

SILVIS RIVERS :

Lord Brett

Hey if you feel you are adequate fine ... I have not personalised this issue - and your sadness is noted but so is the pain of others in my community of mental health Users that are shortchanged by system top down thinking and would be welfare reform applications

Welfare Reform and the top down way its being planned included CBT jackboots too or maybe they should be called "Dick-boots" after a certain person who is economical with therapy .

Personalisation of services has gone out of the NHS window and welfare reform has become the new psycho-work-alot religion . Even Job Centre staff hover in and and around NHS mental health Trusts.. Its intimidating and upsetting people . Some of us are so affected by the assault of the planning gurus that we do wonder if death is better . Now that's being hurt .

But on therapy there should have crucially been choices not just one favoured application (CBT) and all the training money to my mind gone to it is wasted when its obvious we could have enjoyed monitored patient choices years ago using available local supply sides . God knows some of us could have grown into more functionality .

The whole point for me and others in the User-community was to believe in a patient recovery led by choices and incremental growth . Its what we were all promised . I've seen CBT used by "practitioners" in the NHS where they expect the patient to do"homework" to identify negatively co-reinforcing thought and feeling patterns and the poor boggers have been lost .

I've talked to these people and discovered so many are seriously wounded people from life and they need deeper more empathically providing applications

After your post I have taken a decision to ask USERWATCH to make an exception against CBT slagging off and therefore you have been offered a Dogology .. Now this is rare

I'd swipe a copy of it quick ..

SEE HERE A special dogology to Lord Brett ..

Seeeeee now I do have the power of magical smiling and wickedish therapy which makes Lords laugh ..

Silvis Rivers

USERWATCH

CBT Neck Bolting Cog-Bottery Success Story With Toilet Roll Accessories

WELFARE DEFORMED

A CBT Success Story With Toilet Roll Earing Too

By Silvis Rivers Cheek Practitioner

Lobbying Dr Lynne Jones To Support Welfare Reform Amendments

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Letter By Email Copied To Birmingham UserWatch


Dr Lynne Jones
Joint Chair
All Parliamentary Mental Health
Sub Committee

22nd June 2009

Dear Lynne

Jon Rutherford (Guardian Journalist)

Has written today that the Welfare Reform Bill at this stage is currently
under potential amendment in the Lords and the Lib Dems are trying to get
a clause inserted to protect the mentally ill with difficult conditions .

I am asking you for your support in this because I feel there are many
people that need actually defending from what is a potentially oppressive bill

Regards

Paul Brian Tovey

Independent Mental Health Monitor

UK Personality Disorder Spectrum Survey Launched May 27th 2009

By Art De Rivers NowPublic.Com - UK Mental Health Story

UK Personality Disorder Spectrum Survey Launched May 27th 2009

Kate Logan of Gateshead passed away in 2007 and her friends spanned the UK and parts of the world. Kate had Borderline Personality Disorder . That disorder, where attachments and insecurity become exaggerated features of inner life, and where the pain of that inner life is like tortured fires burning the soul of a red razor walker - and it can kill .

Kate took pills in 2007 and died . The full Coroners report is not yet out and her NHS Trust reportedly appear to have been very very slow in yielding all the information up for consideration .

Her friends and those close to her, felt she had little treatment of any worth .. In fact some believe inadequate treatment and the poor behaviour by the NHS contributed to her death

Her friends kept her memory alive Online glittering in a carmine memory-pink logo - which in its own way says "Farewell , we will remember you " and some have tried to form a way forwards to help others - partly in her memory . This has taken the shape of Online harbour of some friendship in forums .

Yet forums too are often an expression of the powerlessness in which there are echoes of an abandoning UK NHS system which creates little therapeutic growth and containment and leaves it to the world's winds . Perhaps now a survey spark has lit some extra hope.

Its this overall sad context that inspired the Online UK wide survey to capture key information about UKUser-Satisfaction with the NHS services.

Its time more Users owned the right to measure the services back . Its a first perhaps, and is a small step forwards on the UK feeling of social and services moons of Personality Disordered abandonment.

And many do complain they are abandoned to no help , no therapy , no emotional resolutions to things like child abuse and the pain of it - to being heard out more fully ..Theirs is a life of struggle to be heard from long ago....

The Survey embraces not only Personality Disorder but Borderline PD and PTSD and Complex PTSD as well as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) ..

All appear to be undernourished parts of the spectrum of human differentness - without much help - this NowPublic.com channel will keep you posted .

Community Treatment Orders : No's By UK Trust : FOIA Result From CQC

Community Treatment Orders by Specific Trust in the UK
Obtained From the Care Quality Commission UK
UnderThe Freedom of Information Act

CLICK ON EACH TABLE TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON EACH TABLE TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON EACH TABLE TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON EACH TABLE TO ENLARGE

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Wealthy Healthy Ministers Claim Jam Galore In UK Pots

By Art De Rivers UK

(Credit to Health Service Journal - Sally Gainsbury)

Mr Sterling Pound tends to magically tempt people , you know a bit like MP's - into expensive sweet jampots where they may get stuck - especially if the jam is a bit sticky and belongs to a shared pot of fair spreads for all ..

Nothing tempts children like having another mouthful of someone else's jam . MP's are similar to children although children may later form protest groups about this scurrilous statement ..

The MP's expenses and jammy fallout is making a few Parliamentary Pigures - sorry Figures into greedy little bees... Jamsucking away ..And the proof has been gathered by well crafted Journo-netters. The Telegraph has led on the MP expenses claims stories and others have piled in with their angles .

Over to Sally Gainsbury - a lovely Netter - of Health Service Journal UK

"Health ministers and MPs on the shadow health team are among those named and shamed by The Daily Telegraph’s exposé of MP expenses claims.

The biggest claimant among the health ministers was care services minister Phil Hope, who the newspaper says claimed £83,654 between 2004-05 and 2007-08, much of it on furniture and renovations to his London flat, including a new kitchen and wooden flooring."

Source: hsj.co.uk

And of Andrew Lansley -- now known as : "Jamdrew" , Sally ace Jam Netter of the HSJ reports :

"The newspaper [Telegraph] does not mention whether or not Conservative shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley jointly owned his Cambridgeshire cottage and London flat with his wife. However, it says his total £78,370 claims included the cost of decorating the cottage, which he later sold for £433,000, shortly before he transferred second home status to his London flat.

Mr Lansley denies the implication he “flipped” his residence to exploit the expenses system, which allows MPs to claim up to £24,222 a year to cover the costs of rent, interest payments and running costs on their designated second homes."

Source: hsj.co.uk

Staff Implementing Dynamic Changes In Health

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By KAKATOO May 2009

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Delayed Whistleblowing Syndrome at Mid Staffs Hospital By Coughing Up Managers

By Art De Rivers UserWatch Member

Health Service Journal (HSJ) in the UK deserve some credit for helping NHS managers at Mid Staffs NHS Trust to open up about the appalling standards of care . Does this mean NHS whistle blowing, though delayed beyond saving real lives previously is developing shrilling and thrilling biceps ?

HSJ have created a survey of Mid Staffs managers and shortly this piece will show links to that .

The Mid Staffordshire Hospital's extra 400 deaths (beyond the expected rate) story runs on and on and has shown probably only one consultant had the conscience and foresight to get the mortality figures looked at again. It seems the holy triple spirits of the now defunct Health Care Commission and West Mids Strategic Health Authority ( and Monitor the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts missed the phenomenon and the 2003 credo of the then Labour's Govt's Secretary of State John Reid's :"Trust Me I am a Patient" went into the health service mortuary too

Health Service Journal :

"6 May, 2009 | Updated: 7 May, 2009 0:00 am

Around half of hospital managers and other staff believe elements of poor standards found at Mid Staffordshire foundation trust exist at their own organisation, a HSJ straw poll suggests.

Fifty-two of 103 respondents - mainly acute managers - said they recognised parts of the poor management and governance highlighted by the Healthcare Commission in March.

Forty-two said they recognised elements of the care standards that were criticised.

Source: hsj.co.uk"

HSJ's survey comes at a time when public pressure led by Julie Bailey and Cure The NHS and now with extra cross party and legal focus is building up a head of steam - and the public are seriously behind it .

Its attracted too the remainder of the Patient and Public Involvement Forum members who were a hardcore leftover from when the Government disbanded them (March 2008) for a new slushier idea of : "Local Involvement Networks" which are not performing well across the UK and some have lost all touch with serious monitoring practice .

But the National Association For LINks Members is trying to re-create some good practice even though that will be a serious mountain to climb . Mount Effectiveness has been made glassier by Gov't and Dept of Health information slides and ice ..

A day ago the public met at Mids Staffordshire though, and the results will be interesting to hear and report on .

Everyone will note in the May 5th 2009 promotion of the public Mid Staff's meeting the lawyers are in presence too ...Leigh Day Solicitors . Hmmmm... Very interesting . Out of the 400 extra dead at Mid Staffs the lawyers may yet well find a case too for corporate manslaughter ..

But Julie Bailey , of Cure the NHS : (quote)

"This site is firstly dedicated to Bella Bailey 16/02/1921 - 08/11/2007 ... and also to the many others who have lost their lives needlessly on wards in Staffordshire General Hospital. We launched this campaign after witnessing 8 weeks of elderly care in this hospital. What we saw after the first few days left us fearing for my Mother's life and too frightened to leave her. We stayed by her side sleeping on a chair for 8 weeks, because we did I believe my Mother stayed alive for those eight weeks. "

(end quote)

whose mother Bella died even though Julie tried to save her and nurse her for eight weeks has instructed Leigh Day solicitors to bring a case against the Secretary of State for Health :

"Update on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust 01 May 2009

Cure the NHS will be holding a public meeting on 5 May 2009 to discuss the Secretary of State’s announcement to defer his decision of whether to hold a public inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust).

Richard Stein and Rosa Curling instructed by Julie Bailey and Chris Dalziel of Cure the NHS wrote a letter before action to the Secretary of State on 27 March 2009 stating that his decision not to hold a public inquiry into the Trust was unlawful under Article 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act.

Source: leighday.co.uk "

No wonder the managerial birds are singing from their cages ..

A few canaries in offices may well be screaming later ..

Mind you , so did some of the patients , before they died prematurely ..

LINKS :

NALM's Previous Report On LINks In The UK

NALM pdf

NALM August 2008

Who Cares Kills ? - The Case of Humber Mental Health Trust NHS UK

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Userwatch UK Reports :

The BBC 5th May 2009 report on the 2005 killing of a 31 year old mother of five also pregnant with twins, by a Paranoid Schizophrenic has other concerning systemic story-weaves within it . The BBC report, states :

"Benjamin Holiday, 25, a paranoid schizophrenic, killed Tina Stevenson in Hull after missing his medication. An independent investigation found his mental health problem was "under-treated" and his condition should have been "more assertively managed".

On NowPublic.com a number of stories (See at the bottom of this story) on Art De River's channel demonstrates a link between under-serving patients in the UK NHS (even sometimes killing them) and NHS Trusts clearing debts or making non-profit surpluses as the now new Gov't idealised "Foundation Trusts" (FT's) .

This particular pattern of new NHS FT ambitions and related financial activity coupled with risk to patients, has been happening over years and in the case of Benjamin Holiday, the Humber Mental Health Trust (HMHT) has been like other Trusts - practicing lean management - to clear "debt".

This "debt" though, arguably it has to be repeated, is often the result of rationed allowances from the Dept Of Health.. One might term the "debt" consistent underpayment for patient need in reality . Considering the amount of money the UK Gov't can find for banks it does rather create a new perspective on UK health economics too . Some of the public may feel the NHS should become a bank.

The Humber Mental Health Trust though has been trying to make surpluses because a key factor in its performance is to become a "Foundation Trust" and to do so it has to put in its bid to the Independent FT Regulator : MONITOR - with a "healthy" balance and surplus in evidence ..

The incentive to become and FT is not purely idealistic because it is clear that Monitor will look for take-over-mergers where NHS Hospital Trusts fail to become FT's and that means top-job losses ..

From the Humber MHT's accounts :

It is into this new NHS shaping context that the rush to perform and become FT's must be seen and in which patient's care (or patient care being compromised) is part of the weave .

In the years 2005 and 2006 the Humber MHT achieved a small surplus but redundancy costs meant they reduced staff and paid for it . That's like reducing care and then paying again for the reduction of it .

Benjamin Holliday was as the BBC states "undertreated" - well he would be if they were not enough staff .

The BBC report also states :

"The Trust also apologised after being criticised over the care of a mentally-ill man who killed his elderly mother in 2003 Michael Torrie, then aged 43, cut his 82-year-old mother Ivy's throat at their home in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, after a "rapid reduction" in his medication, the report said."

Subsequently Humber Mental Health Trust has made another surplus in 2007 - 8 . Its a Trust that needs watching carefully .

From 2007 - 2008 HMHT Accounts :

"Summary of the financial year : This was a successful year financially for our Trust with all statutory duties being achieved together with a surplus for the year of £353,000 which meant that the target surplus of 0.5% of relevant income was achieved."


See also : other story links from NowPublic.com Channel showing where NHS Trusts have made surpluses and patients have been under-served and/or sometimes have died .


1. Mid Staff NHS Trust £886k surplus

2. Birmingham Children's Hospital £2.3 Million

3. South London and Maudsley MH Trust £5 + million

4. Kingston Hospital Trust £2.7 million

See Also Other UserWatch Stories (Surpluses versus Care) Below :

5. Bedford and Luton MH Trust

6. Bradford MH Trust £550 K / Death of Jonathon Brannan

7 Islington Mental Health Trust Colville Marks ref £1.7 Million



Interesting Links :

Wife Of A Schitzophrenic

Ron Peponis Blog

Mental Health : Esther Freud and Bella Freud Support Petition Against State Regulation

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From Art De Rivers NowPublic.com

Link To Petition Supported by Esther and Bella Freud ]

Just lately parts of the UK, with an eye for it , have woken up to the heavy hand of the State and the way it creates regulations that appear to interfere or cause moral sliding rather than positively enhancing NHS service's accountability.

There is a growing sense of the "State is too big for its boots" .. NHS patients are only now able to use a joined up form of complaints system that where appropriate combines the two often interrelated facets of Health and Social Care :

"The new approach is expected to be introduced in April 2009. These pages provide information and advice about DH’s reforms on how complaints should be dealt with". (DOH Source)

Previously two different complaints systems (both created by the current Govt) often sabotaged each other in inexplicable layers and poor co-ordination .

On NowPublic.com the story about therapists (over 2000 of them ) petitioning Gov't to disagree with the attempt to regulate them under the state connected Health Professions Council has been covered .

What was easier to miss for a while perhaps, was another petition of 1136 which can be signed by members of the public .

Its a petition signed by Esther and Bella Freud the daughters of Lucian Freud (artist) and great grand-daughters of Sigmund Freud . Oliver James a lead UK outspoken psychologist who favours person centred and deep approaches has also signed up . Anthomy Gormley artist/creator of Birmingham UK's "Iron Man" statue has signed up too .. :

"To: UK Parliament

Under new government proposals, psychoanalysis and the talking therapies will be regulated by the State under the Health Professions Council. We the undersigned wish to register our protest and disagreement with this initiative. Psychoanalysis is a private conversation, and the proposed regulations threaten to limit the basic human right to freedom of speech. Each individual should have the freedom to choose the therapist they wish to consult, without the State dictating who is legitimate and who is not. 

" Source Petition Online

What has put the cat amongst the therapist pigeons in the UK is the way the State has favoured Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (£173 million roll out over 3 years ) and the way it has selected that for favourable treatment. The State most pointedly did not rely upon private supply sides for its ambitions, instead it has embarked upon a graduate training programme. There are many faults in all of these plans - not least the lack of depth and experience of graduates and the formulaic approaches of CBT so far outlined .

There has been a lack of "Patient Choice" mechanisms in mental health too . The UK State has looked for solutions it can control quickly .

The collision course was inevitable between all parties , therapists , patients , and State and could have only been avoided by more mature State use of piloting provisions , both Private and State supply sides and monitoring them all fairly . The State knows though that there are damaged people in the community which would certainly increase demand and yet this is an opportunity for parts of society to heal and feel . Does the State want that ?

A supply led solution by the UK NHS State preserves the power of the NHS as monopoly supplier but it does not create the all important quality driver of innovation and consumer driven reports of possible areas of good practice in a wider and larger enviroment of supply .

A charity , Depression Alliance has produced a survey which supports therapy choices and urges the NHS Primary Care Trust commisioners to : Recommendation 4 :

"Additionally, depression and anxiety should be added to ‘choose and book’ so that people with these conditions have a right to choose from a range of five accredited providers when referred to specialist treatments in the community. People with chronic depression should be entitled to hold personal health and social care budgets alongside those with less disabling chronic illnesses."

What does seem the case is the State has missed opportunities to bring people together sooner and more respectifully with its years of concentration on the work-is-recovery ethos which has seen it waste probably £140 million on NIMHE and CSIP..

The current £173 million CBT roll out is arguably partly going to waste too because it neither commands the confidence of patients fully, with its one size fits all approach , and it has alienated private supply sides with its insistence on State regulation and the fear of too much control that carries . Patient Choice as from from April 2009 was also barred in mental health (see the story here )

As for the protection of the public under State regulation of all therapies in the UK - the petition carries this :

"The new regulations proposed for the talking therapies - which include 451 rules for the analytic session - would effectively make it impossible to practise psychoanalysis and many other forms of therapy in the way they have been practised for the last hundred years. The Health Professions Council plans a public campaign to discredit those practitioners whose own practice and ethical code would not allow them to sign up to its market-led vision of therapy and normality.



The main reason given for the regulatory project is protection of the public. Yet all analytic and therapy organisations already have stringent codes of ethics and practice, as well as complaints procedures. Replacing these with an inherently unsuited model of healthcare will destroy the growth and vitality of the field for both therapists and those who consult them. We urge an alternative model, like that adopted in other countries, where government intervention is limited to the requirement that all therapists join a register which is administered by an independent professional body, giving full details of their training and affiliations. This would enable members of the public to make their own informed choice rather than having politicians make it for them.

" Source Petition Online

What is left in all of this is a lack of joined up brokerage for pained people who could benefit from the use of all supply sides whilst balancing the demand side from patients more respectfully with equality of opportunity embedded , to choose treatments that can evolve to suit different types of human emotional problems

ADR

Women Sexual Abusers - The Taboo Against Seeing

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By a UserWatch Correspondent

Seeing more fully is the first stage of a healing . Well it can be ....

The BBC have opened up this difficult subject again but it was opened up in 1992 - 3 by Michele Elliot of the Charity Kidscape in London . I recall talking to Michele Elliot in 1992 because she had discovered there were incidents of sexual abuse by females on children . They were not isolated . She was adamant it needed witnessing and hearing .

She planned a book to try to document it . A lot of the contributors as children had been forced to have sexual relations with a female carer-figure (sometimes a mother). The result for some was lasting lives of damage. Some though were more functional than others . No-one can calculate how individuals are differently affected .

Following the book in which I made a contribution I was contacted by members of the public through Kidscape . They often told me terrible stories about their backgrounds and some people were driven close to becoming "psychotic" by those backgrounds and others were working through damages left-over inside them.

It was a multi story-ed battleground of personal and social survival - more like dodging the hell of terror and "you are about to die" - on a field of twisted soul and little social reception for it .

You come away from some of these stories with reactivated pain in yourself - armoured shoulders and finally grief for those you have heard , and grief for yourself ..It hurts to hear people but that is what we are and have - just each other

I am writing this because of the twin observation of poor UK services to deal with these things and nearly 40 years experience of witnessing mental health users of UK NHS mental health services and noting many have told me they were abused - often very substantially . I meet these type of people daily . Beatings and rape and bodily intrusion by others (and mothers) are substantial reasons to suffer from post trauma patterns ..This is often pushed away though . The system has learned not to see , or to see and then close down again . Assisted grieving is not what it is good at.

Much of this social and personal damage is being ashistorically treated by mental health services

We are dooming futures by not listening to history fully . Instead too often a label is applied like Personality Disordered or Borderline PD, Self Harmer , or some other semantic slide away from a narrative of a terrible history . After all if you see something deeply you make and take the responsibility to create real and better solutions.

Empathic reception is not a State skill or a supplied form of ministration of the damaged screaming heart that needs it rages, and needs its path to the melting of flames, named grief.

Once again in the UK the BBC fairly raises this abuse-subject that causes an emotional holocaust in children who become emotional damaged and distorted adults coded with the terrible twists of their lives within them - and the cuts to their souls ..The emotional holocaust walkers are all around us drinking and drugging and damaging others , or they are ill ..

Answers ? Oh yes there are answers named empathic reception . The ability to hear and see into others and to help them complete the cycles of their rages against damages and process their deep hurts into grief ..

How do you grieve for a mother or carer who sexually abused you ?

Everlastingly, and on a joint cross, and occasionally you meet grace of understanding . Your childhood is theirs, and theirs is buried in the hands of others that damaged them long ago ...

Its a slow slow process unravelling hell

Cor veritatis ..

From the BBC below .

Eight-hundred victims of female sexual abuse have contacted Michele Elliott, founder of children's charity Kidscape, since she wrote her controversial book, Female Sexual Abuse of Children, in 1992. Three-quarters of the cases feature women acting alone.

Supporting Principle : GO GO GO GO PETITION - Margaret Haywood De-registered Nurse Latest

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The Nursing Midwifery Council who de-registered Margaret Haywood (nurse) after she tried to solve problems in her hospital and could not, and who then helped the BBC to do that should start thinking about their own positions .

They have brought themselves into disrepute . They have made a bad mistake and misjudged the public interest and the current leadership is just untenable .. We at UserWatch say : get rid of them ..

Its likely by the end of today or early tommorrow the Margaret Haywood petition will gain 30000 signatures .. We at UserWatch do not think it will stop there .

A lot of the NHS is rotten with perverse over-control - tongue clamping - and lack of truer transparency - you'll be lucky to get information easily about Serious Untoward Incidents at Hospitals who as a whole and particluarly after Foundattion Status have clamped down on information-giving and now its a case of using the Freedom Of Information Act for what should be easily available - instead though its bureaucratically guarded - how ridiculous .. NHS UK : From Public Service to a quasi Secret Service .

Support for whistleblowing nurse struck off by NMC

25060 Signatures

Published by Rachel Dufton on Apr 17, 2009

Category: Health

Region: United Kingdom

Target: General public and members of the nursing profession

Web site: http://www.rcn.org.uk

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So You Want To Grasp The Consultation Snake Eh ?

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This is a picture of the UWL of Blood Lightning grasping a Gov't consultation snake .. Yeahhhh ... So there ..It was done by Art De Rivers in wise-nutcase spasms and insight attacks ..

But because of our UW readers and their lazy habits and moans we decided to empower -- Yeahhh EMPOWER you ..... Now its up to you to get entangled and feel shitty and bad and remember in the words of the Great KAKATOO :

"True disempowerment comes when you are invited to be empowered" ... ...

See below for current consultations you can feel foolishly encaged within . From Direct.gov.uk

Take part in a wide range of consultations and have your say on the policy making process.

For details of current consultations going on across government, follow the links below.

• Cabinet Office consultations Opens new window
• Charity Commission consultations Opens new window
• Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform consultations Opens new window
• Department for Children, Schools and Families consultations Opens new window
• Department for Communities and Local Government consultations Opens new window
• Department for Constitutional Affairs consultations Opens new window
• Department for Culture Media and Sport consultations Opens new window
• Department for Energy and Climate Change consultations Opens new window
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs consultations Opens new window
• Department of Health consultations Opens new window
• Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills consultations Opens new window
• Department for International Development consultations Opens new window
• Department for Transport consultations Opens new window
• Department for Work and Pensions consultations Opens new window
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency consultations Opens new window
• Food Standards Agency consultations Opens new window
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office consultations Opens new window
• Health and Safety Executive consultations Opens new window
• Highways Agency consultations Opens new window
• HM Revenue and Customs consultations Opens new window
• HM Treasury consultations Opens new window
• Home Office consultations Opens new window
• Northern Ireland Office consultations Opens new window
• Office of Gas and Electricity Markets consultations Opens new window
• Scotland Office consultations Opens new window
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency consultations Opens new window
• Ministry of Defence consultations Opens new window
• Ministry of Justice consultations Opens new window
• Office for National Statistics consultations Opens new window
• Intellectual Property Office consultations Opens new window
• Scottish Government consultations Opens new window
• Vehicle and Operator Services Agency consultations Opens new window
• Welsh Assembly Government consultations

Bear in mind half of these links will probably go down and become distorted within a few weeks but do not lose hope... In FACT get rid of it !

Why risk losing hope by possessing any ? ... Go beyond despair .. Just feel empty ... Engage the truth ..

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Re-instate Margaret Haywood Nurse - Petition Horse Gallops On Through Time

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The Petition Gallops on Through Time

The petition to reinstate Margaret Haywood the Whistleblowing Nurse who exposed problems on a ward and helped the BBC film conditions at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton because no-one was listening- highlights the serious underlying battle between the State and the public . Do we have a public service truly viewable by the public rather than "clever" appointees, or do we have a secret service that wants to overly control the public point of view ?

LATEST NO's FROM PETITION HERE

A poster "Mary Nolze" on NowPublic.com expresses a lot of sense to the UK audience who may come here and its worth considering :

"I agree with the previous comments. I think it is a good idea though as well as signing the petition and talking about it on the net, to write a good old fashioned strongly worded letter to the NMC on good old writing paper, putting all the argument but stressing the total loss of faith that the public have in the corporate, manager driven NHS with its lack of humanity except at the lowest levels.

The NMC has got to show that it cares at ward level otherwise they will be seen as a redundant "jobs for the boys" Quango of the worst kind, which come the revolution ( which I don't really look forward to!) will be swept aside.

We simply cannot afford to carry this sort of prestigiuous body unless they have true courage and moral values. This is what I am doing now."

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Re-instate Margaret Haywood Nurse - Petition Flames On

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PETITION UPDATE

10000 - yep that's Ten Thousand have signed the petition to re-register and reinstate Margaret Haywood the whistleblowing nurse .

Wow ...

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Margaret Haywood De-registered Nurse Petition Gallops Toward 6000

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This petition is a galloping one and is likely to hit 6000 by late tonight ... It has seized the feelings and imaginations of people who are pissed off with idiot-authority and realise Margaret Haywood whistleblew and helped the BBC film conditions at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton because no-one was listening . The tosspot idea of booting (de-registering) Margaret Haywood and lifetime banning her for breach of patient confidentiality as the Nursing and Midwifery Council did was crazy and does nothing to understand her double bind and the public will in this matter.

All the patients the BBC and Margaret Haywood filmed allowed her to show the truth about the ward they were on . This is case of the system and those who play within it using confidentiality to utterly cripple accountability as usual .. Patient's may well be tactically advised to give advance permission notices to nurses and media to act for their best interests because the NMC has lost that point, and so did the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton...

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Petition For Nurse Margaret Haywood's Re-instatement Goes Past 2000

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In less than a day the petition to reinstate NHS UK whistleblowing Nurse Margaret Haywood has gone past 2000 - from the rate of signature increase we have observed it looks set to climb into the many thousands .

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The Margaret Haywood - Whistle Blower Nurse Petition Passes 1000

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The petition supporting Margaret Haywood the nurse who blew the whistle on the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton that ignored her concerns regarding conditions for patient's and who later the Nursing Medical Council struck off hit 1000 earlier - last night it was 507 when we viewed it . It appears the public are getting the spreading word and we will update on this .

Links :

Whistleblowing nurse faces further NMC charges over covert filming for BBC documentary

BBC defends undercover nurse as NMC probes confidentiality breach

Supporting The NHS-Crushed-Right To Whistleblow - Re-instate Margaret Haywood !

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[UserWatch Team : An attack on Margaret Haywood the struck off Nurse is an attack on all of us - her case matters for mental health too where Trusts Managers and top staff are like Mafia Bosses . The public cannot see in enough into the NHS anymore and the need for Public Blindness by NHS top staff is bad signal that all is not right. It isn't right - large illusions are practiced in the new name of "reform" and "modernisation" . Bullshit public and selected patient involvement that is paper thin will not create a people orientated system of patient choice in the NHS .. ]

From Art De Rivers NowPublic.Com

Margaret Haywood a nurse of many years experience tried to alert the hospital authorities about the condition in the wards so she satisfied crucial parts of the UK "Whistleblowers Act " drafted as the : Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

"Margaret Haywood, 58, received a lifetime ban from nursing for misconduct after filming the neglect of elderly patients for a BBC Panorama documentary.

The senior nurse broke down in tears after the judgement last week and said she was "absolutely devastated" by the panel's decision."

People in the UK are rallying to the right to whistleblow and they are supporting Margaret Haywood calling for her to be re-instated - it seems people are waking up in the UK to the way the NHS practices concealment of poor management in the name of "reform" .

"After the hearing on Thursday, the nurse referred to recent stories of NHS failure: "Look at recent things that have been happening, especially with the Mid-Staffordshire hospital, nurses are afraid to speak out. The whole process needs to be reviewed so nurses can voice their concerns."

Hundreds of NHS staff have protested about Miss Haywood's treatment. She is considering appealing against the decision by the Council, which has already received hundreds of emails and phone calls from nurses furious about the ruling.

Now the Royal College of Nursing has launched a petition and Facebook group supporting Miss Haywood for exposing poor patient care."

A petition is underway HERE

So far the petition has 509 signatures and it looks set to increase on a wave of new awareness that managers in the NHS and the "modernised" culture of it often colludes to create a context in which poor practice can be swept under the poor health carpet and those that see the dirt and speak up get targeted..

That is not healthy, its a perversion of the idea of healthiness and conscious regard for flaws that must be solved . Underlying all this is a culture of bullying and fear in the NHS . Nurses need to blow the whistle on that and point back to where it begins.

From Go Petition.com :


"Background (Preamble): This petition is for members of the nursing profession and the general public who want to show their support for nurse Margaret Haywood. Margaret was struck off the nursing register by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for taking part in a television programme which highlighted instances of poor patient care. We believe that Margaret was justified in exposing the worrying conditions at her hospital and that the documentary shed light on matters that the public deserved to know about.


Petition: We, the undersigned, wish to show our support for nurse Margaret Haywood who raised issues of concern around poor patient care. We believe that Margaret was justified in exposing the worrying conditions at her local hospital and that the NMC was wrong to strike her off the nursing register. "

2600 Therapists and Counsellors Sign Petition Against State Regulation

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So far 2600 Therapists and Counsellors have signed a petition against State Regulation. The underlying concern they have it appears, is the lack of ability for therapy to help individuate the individual without the State trying to turn therapy and counselling into a ground for more social control with State laden agendas . They also feel their ethical codes and self regulation are enough . There is no doubt they have improved the promotion of their complaint processes - these can be studied online . It might be good to have a follow up practice of independent satisfaction-study on those - being transparent matters .

The deeper truth in all this tension between State and Therapy/Counsellor professionals UserWatch believes, is the State and the Patient (Users) in mental health together with those who truly advocate for them (rather than corral them for use) have been on a collision course for some time . The most acutely suffering User in crisis sadly may well be the easy candidate for no or little talking therapy and drug control but there are many more Users in mental health who are suffering long term relational damages and emotional aftermaths that are not getting a choice a therapy to help their feelings and even the need to mourn their shocking pain caused by perverse developments ...

They are left in a tight circle of defensive symptoms and then labelled without the narrative of their individual lives being the most informing thing about their condition ..Labels hide discernible and treatable history . That fact that hyper damaging history can be mourned over years is not a popular way with the State .

There is a war on for sure - it is fundamentally about the vested interests of psychiatry, the Uk Dept of Health , and the socially controlling establishments in psychology and other related health arenas staying in power and claiming "measurement and regulation" as the most responsible way forward whilst mixing this into a perverse discriminatory context of no real Patient Choice in Mental Health and no likelihood of a culture of that begining and becoming seriously informing ..

The war by default is about keeping human feelings and the social realities that damaged them out of sight and mind . Integrating these feelings though through sense and help is not what the State wants and a cost argument is often used yet the false economy of one size fits all CBT and CCBT is coming under increasing professional scrutiny and argument .

The patient - User is in the no-mans land of it all. Many are zeroed in on for zero help and that nothingness kills.

We have copied Psychminded's April 15th 2009 article here below (re : British Association For Counselling and Psychotherapy BACP ) regarding BACP's concerns over a lack of Patient Choice .

Therapists' anger at NHS "downplaying" of counselling and psychotherapy

April 15, 2009
by Angela Hussain

.......

Psychotherapists and counsellors are angry that the NHS is doubting the efficacy of counselling and psychotherapy for depression.

National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2004 guidelines on the treatment of depression prioritise CBT and interpersonal therapy for depression.

But the clinical advisory body also recommends counselling and psychodynamic psychotherapy for mild to moderate depression.

But NICE's new draft revised guidelines state patients should be explained about the "uncertainty" of the effectiveness of counselling and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has accused NICE of unjustifiably "downplaying" counselling and psychotherapy and denying patient choice.

"While the tone of these statements does not inspire confidence in counselling and psychotherapy, the impact on choice of therapy is of major concern," said Lynne Gabriel, chair of BACP.

Dr Gabriel said the BACP would make a "robust" response to NICE.

She said: "In our response, we will question the rationale and methodology that informs the NICE downgrading of counselling and psychotherapy as therapies of choice for mild to moderate depression."

2000 Band Of Therapists Light Up Torch Rebellion Against State Regulation

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Well it seems the UK "Therapy Wars" have broken out at last and the Band of Therapy Brothers has lit the battle torches :

Press Release 17th April 2009

THERAPISTS REFUSE THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANS FOR THEM

At a packed meeting in London on April 5th, the newly formed Alliance for Psychotherapy and Counselling took the next steps in its campaign against the Government's plans for the regulation of psychotherapy and counselling via the Health Professions Council. The Alliance is an umbrella organisation for qualified psychotherapists and counsellors from all traditions to develop their case that therapy work is not a 'health profession'.

Addressing the meeting, Professor Brian Thorne said: 'No convincing proof exists that state regulation protects clients from abuse. Therapy is not a medical or usually a medically associated activity and regulation by the Health Professions Council consequently makes little sense. The uniqueness both of persons and relationships indicates the inappropriateness of a state regulatory process which must inevitably encourage uniformity and militate against creativity of practice.'

Already, over 2,000 qualified psychotherapists and counsellors have signed a petition calling for a

rethink by the Government. A Coalition Against Over-Regulation of Psychotherapy has launched its own petition, supported by well-known artists, writers and intellectuals, which has also called for the abandonment of what many now see as a misguided policy on the part of the Government.

Speaking for the Coalition, Professor Darian Leader said:

'All the major psychotherapy and counselling organisations rejected HPC as regulator when it was proposed two years ago. HPC is designed for healthcare delivery in a business framework and not for the relationship based practice of psychotherapy. It is also unable to deal with the complexity of complaints in this field.' One of the main psychotherapy organisations - the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy - has made it clear that it will continue to register psychotherapists who, as matter of principle, do not sign up to the HPC's register. HPC itself also recognises that its register will be far from comprehensive and that there will be many legal loopholes.

Calling for a campaign of Principled Non-Compliance, Professor Andrew Samuels said: 'All psychotherapists and counsellors concerned about the Government's proposals should announce publicly that they will refuse to register with the HPC and remain in membership of one of the existing - and good enough - psychotherapy organisations to which all therapists belong'. Samuels went on: 'All such organisations have well-developed codes of ethics and conduct bringing with them disciplinary procedures including withdrawal of recognition or publicly announced expulsion from the organisation ("striking off") as a last resort'.

It is very important for the public and media to understand that the Alliance in no way supports
anyone working outside of a code of ethics and conduct without accountability. Therapists are not so irresponsible and it is insulting to suggest otherwise.

We feel that the approach taken to these matters by the HPC is going to prove disastrous. Many complaints against psychotherapists and counsellors are not about clear cut matters such as sexual or financial exploitation, or false claims to qualification. All therapists agree that exploitation and deception are utterly unacceptable, though, regrettably, the extent of such abuse has never been properly researched. Sadly, as all agree, no system - not the HPC's nor the ones already in existence - will deal with the problem of the 'bad apple'.We have seen this in the experience of the medical profession.

Because of the nature of this work, many complaints are best resolved via conciliation, negotiation and, where appropriate, apology and a change of approach on the part of the therapist. However, true to its understanding of a 'health profession', the HPC's approach to ethics and discipline is bureaucratic, adversarial, utterly devoid of the emphasis on conciliation, mediation and mutual understanding that characterizes the best contemporary approaches
to ethics and discipline in the therapy field. In this, and in other ways, far from raising standards,
the HPC has embarked on lowering them.

Those psychotherapy and counselling organisations who support the HPC process know this perfectly well but remain silent for fear of jeopardizing the advantages and benefits that will accrue from compliance. So, whatever the stated intention to protect the public, the HPC register will only benefit those therapists who sign up to it.

Following the launch of the Alliance's campaign, the number of HPC 'refuseniks' is going to be substantial. We call on the Government to convene a conference of all the parties and organise a poll of the professions concerned.We are dismayed at the flat refusal of the HPC even to discuss such a poll.

For more information contact: Denis Postle 020 8995 6181 denis@postle.net

Professor Darian Leader 07952 520 540 darianleader@hotmail.com

Janet Low 020 8244 4549; 07780 697160 janet.low@mac.com

Professor Andrew Samuels 020 7272 1292; 07768 662813 andrew@andrewsamuels.net

PRESS RELEASE
Released on 17th April 2009
2 of 2
http://www/allianceforcandp.org

Its Official From April 2009 There's No "Patient Choice" In Mental Health UK

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A guidance document circulated by the Dept Of Health which came into force on April 1st 2009 militates against the mechanism of Patient Choice in mental health services .

Patient Choice is, for the rest of the population, a reality and it enables people to have a choice of consultant and hospital.

Whilst it is true that legally sectionable people may have no right to choose a venue of treatment because of their state of mind, the Secretary Of State guidance issued by Katharine Peters member of the Senior Civil Service, Department of Health, on January 2009 does not make distinctions that validate a whole other sections of mental health Users (who are sane though damaged people) who might benefit from Patient Choice and the right to be served elsewhere other than their local Trust supply sides .

The guidance we believe is drafted poorly in that respect. and puts the Govt on a disability discrimination course . It also stigmatises MH Users too into second class citizenhood but then what is new with this UK Govt that limits options - creates "mainstreamed" services that cannot fit many, along with poor supports for many in mental health while shining it all up through their performance glossed Trusts ?

Meanwhile the misery in the community of silienced choiceless Users goes on . Where are the MH Charities ? Busy feeding off the work-driven CBT anti stigma drives they arranged at the table of Gov't, and prospering off the lottery until they can find a new gimmick to put forward as the next "modernisation" wave ..

Reforming mental health meant introducing Patient Choice and equality of opportunity to drive services into better quality by state enabled consumer choice power .

From the Guidance :

Page 2 :

Services to which the duty does not apply
3.—(1) Direction 2 does not apply in relation to—
(a) accident and emergency services;
(b) cancer services or services provided at rapid access chest pain clinics which are subject to
the 2 week maximum waiting time(a);
(c) maternity services;
(d) mental health services;

See also FULL DOCUMENT HERE

Mental Health UK : Community Treatment Orders Exceed Expected Level

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TROUBLE WITH CTO's ? GET IN TOUCH WITH USERWATCH
WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS .

The expected rate (we are informed by a reliable source) of about 400 requests in the first year for Community Treatment Orders has been exceeded and is well past a 1000 . (See Hansard Sources Below ). If you are affected you might like to take a look at the new Care Quality Commission's website where they declare :

"We regulate health and adult social care services, whether provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies or voluntary organisations. And, we protect the rights of people detained under the Mental Health Act"

CLICK HERE FOR CQC WEBSITE

BELOW : FROM HANSARD 1st APRIL

Mental Health Services

"Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to ensure the needs of mental health patients are met by specialist mental health services. [268094]

Phil Hope: Since 2001-02, real terms investment in adult mental health services has increased by 44 per cent. (or £1.7 billion), putting in place the services and staff needed to transform mental health services. Compared to 1997, we now have 64 per cent. more consultant psychiatrists, 71 per cent. more clinical psychologists and 21 per cent. more mental health nurses, providing better care for people with mental health problems (all full-time equivalent). More than 740 mental health teams provide specialist community mental health services, such as home treatment, early intervention, or intensive support for people who might otherwise be admitted to hospital.

General practitioners and consultant psychiatrists decide on the most appropriate treatment for their patients, and they are expected to take National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance fully into account. Doctors can prescribe any medicine or treatment which they consider to be necessary, including NICE-approved psychological therapies for severe mental illness, provided that the local primary care trust (PCT) or national health service trust agrees to supply it on the NHS. However, it is for PCTs to decide spending levels for specific health care treatments and services, including mental health, and to commission these services.

The Department revised Care Programme Approach (CPA) guidelines in 2008. Under CPA, each mental health service user should have an opportunity to be actively involved in agreeing their treatment plans with their care co-ordinator, wherever possible. This is not dependent on diagnosis, but may be affected by the severity of the condition at any particular time.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to ensure mental health conditions do not affect people's ability to access NHS services. [268095]

1 Apr 2009 : Column 1228W

Phil Hope: The Department has implemented several measures to help ensure that people with mental health problems and physical illness can access national health service healthcare.

The NHS “Operating Framework” for 2009-10 includes a specific reference to the importance of physical health checks in primary care settings for people with a severe mental illness.

The draft standard NHS contracts for mental health services in 2010-11 onwards, which the Department published in 2008, give providers responsibility for arranging physical health checks for long term in-patients, call for annual improvement targets to be set locally, and suggest progress in improving physical health care as a subject for local reporting from provider to commissioner.

Guidance notes accompanying the standard contracts stress the importance of individualised needs assessments which address service users’ physical health, and recommends local arrangements with primary care services to ensure health checks and inclusion in screening and health promotion activity for mental health service users.

The care programme approach (CPA) for people with complex mental health needs was revised last year. Under CPA, each mental health service user should have an opportunity to be actively involved in agreeing their treatment plans with their care coordinator, wherever possible. CPA describes a holistic approach covering quality of life, health checks, the physical effects of mental illness and psychiatric treatment and the effect of physical symptoms on mental well-being, smoking and obesity.

Mentally Incapacitated: Community Treatment

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many second opinions for treatment under supervised community treatment have been (a) requested and (b) carried out under the Mental Health Act 1983. [268627]

Phil Hope: The Mental Health Act Commission has received 1,673 requests for second opinions for people on supervised community treatment since 3 November 2008 of which 98 were subsequently withdrawn. As at 31 March, 430 were recorded as having had all action completed. Information on the number of second opinions given but not yet recorded as completed is not available.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community treatment orders have been (a) issued and (b) revoked under the Mental Health Act 1993; and how many patients have been (i) recalled to hospital while on a community treatment order and (ii) discharged from a community treatment order. [268628]

Phil Hope: The information requested is not yet available."


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Mental Health : Calling All Kennels On The Linkless Brink !

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Free barking is assured when you go to most Patient and Public Involvement type groups and we hear that has been the case at the Birmingham Local Involvement Network which is still weaving its nets .. We are not quite sure what from though . Mind you there is raw material and hemp in Birmingham - we have heard that okay ...

So far we see no real evidence of a Mental Health Working Group going places and monitoring mental health in the large Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust and the local Social Care system . We hear from whispering staffies (cheeky devils) that the Trust is pleased there is very little threat of monitoring so far . We also hear from the internal User's Voice org, paid for by the Trust and kept in sandwiches and meetings few attend - that UV feels safer if there is no-one to watch its tepid very un-independent existence .. Its surprising how honest some of them are ..

We did check for minutes of most of the so called "LINks" working groups and we could find none on the website HERE

We'll come back to this area of Dogland later ..

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Mental Health UK And Why Cows Are Choosing To Emigrate

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Communities In Control ?

OPINION :

The attempt to create re-engagement over several years by Labour has been flawed. Ahhh, but the attempt is on again with the new Hazel Blears white paper backed by Gordon Brown .

"Communities in control Real people Real power ".

Its total bollox, and, "lets all arrange to be falsely democratic". But lets look at this from our angle and then widen it .

In Mental Health we have seen the "User-Voice" hijacked .... Bullshit governors of Foundation Trusts playing status games and nothing much else, and Trusts loving it because its business and bureacracy as usual, plenty of meetings and sandwiches , and no real patient voice through the mechanism of "Patient-Choice".

Paid for Users now take quasi-representational precedence at Trusts . There's no talk of a conflict of interest there . The terms are not even understood . Dependency on Trusts is higher with these paid Users than others who are out in the raw community surviving the new welfare to work trawls and who can be picked off by Government and got into training which often does not fit them. For some of them , there is sometimes (but rarely) "work" which again is often invented bullshit. There is meaningless attendance at Gov't contractor's Job-centres - and a denial of tailor made ways forwards that are made from a fabric of real choice rather than a State-grey-suit fit for a mind-coffin ..

In Mental Health in the UK we have supported a useless bureaucracy like NIMHE (140) million with its Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) outgrowth, and SHIFT that says it does not duplicate others work but quite clearly is part of Mental Health charities and Govt incestuous circle of people and ex employees of charities or government ... And CSIP cannot even control its own website from linking to Ann Summers Sex Toys and Internet ads that include drugs .. (story on NowPublic.com)

Go and see the document links on CSIP's own website page

The Government are only just waking up to the Net in education .. Twats .. Web 2.0 is here and people are becoming the media alongside what the media is turning into - yet the Net does not hold out mass prospect of work for all and productive jobs in the UK have gone to China and India. We have a bullshit-land . A redundant working class and a backward victorian view of what to do .

Could it have been better in Mental Health though ? Yes .. Patient grants for personal development could have worked far better and afforded tailor made treatments , education and training .. At UserWatch we know a source that has explored and discovered tailor made training in a way that fits certain types of vulnerable Users - it cuts out the corporate wages that are being sucked off welfare by the likes of David Freud's ideas. However lets cut the optimism - Lets be real .. Small is not noticed .. Corpocracy is all ..

Equality of opportunity to have a "Patient Choice" does not exist in Mental Health .. Democracy in that sense is inoperable because it does not follow a simple consumer law that chooses other supplies when one shop turns out to be qualitatively bad ..

Wiser Mental Health Users say virtually nothing because the ears that are open at Trusts filter anything into their own context of dominion and self interest anyway .. If anything, its a trap to be "involved".. Its a kind of tense nothingness where rewards are only given to those who validate false tales about how good the Trust is , treatment is , and User-involvement is ..... Its death of the real and the reward of 30 pieces of existential lead for selling out..

So what is the "real" ? . Its trusted empowered human choice rather than disempowered and narrowed choice created by State dominance ..

A better democratic mechanism can exist in mental health (and more broadly) when people have control of their own lives and budgets .. A bureacracy MUST exist where serious need cannot be catered for but even then splitting up bureacracy into smaller events and truly more local ones makes human sense ... Corpocracy does not make human sense ultimately . It crushes human reality inside the laws of greatest numbers tending towards monopoly and not true innovation ...

Communities In Control spells out satisfaction with tenant forums in Housing Associations - which have only ever seen most of them being compromised by State dominion and not real local control via "Tenant Management Organisations" and self running Co-ops .. Labour is way behind on this. A culture of State knows best will take decades to de-bureaucratise and de-middle-class, because there are so many middle class lives dependent on running other's lives in these housing colonies ..

And listen, we say at UserWatch, the UK perversely NEEDS its internal colonies because it cannot perpetuate class so well without them . Class is important because it creates and locks in differential access to wealth and power and those with advantages will want them to remain .

If we were not right you would see : "Being-fully-Empowered-In The-Uk" on every school curriculum . "Local control of your fate" would be an important module .. Is it there in schools ? No .. Its do as you're told, and lets miss out on creating a knowledge that empowers you .. It's State dominion .. It's safe for the status quo ..

In Mental Health its right to have people rescue people that cannot control their own minds but not keep them as a career colony without some choices existing too of how they recover at a pace and way suited to them that creates a life as opposed to a kind of social nothingness designed for them by everyone else locking the context of deeper empowerment down ..

What of local and national proportional representation too ? Any sound of that ? No .. "First past the post" produces "winners" for a section but also sense of denial for others who do not wish to be representated by the same party . Its fine to have a person with the most votes sit on committees but its also fine to have someone you want to speak up for you who may be different.

All we see at UserWatch is a "Mad State" . Democracy is limited and kept that way and the new play by Labour to make us all into the State is also mad.

We need local and individual control and in Mental Health beyond crisis, we need grants for development that are not controlled by charities and other new bureacracies which the old bureacracies can morph quietly into .. We know this is happening - we have seen it in Birmingham .

"Patient Choice" in Mental Health is liable to become mystified into a few (well linked local providers) all sharing the same Primary Care Trust budgets with cross contractual arrangements and questionable conflicts of interests .. "Choice" will become a magical product in this scenario but hide the fact that its very limited by State Control and agenda's ..

Labour's new State is going to be a nightmare of poorly supported ritual "democratic" groups Third Sectorised - charity-slop and a lack of true consumer control. But who cares ? Not the people involved in this already -they'll sell you out on the back of securing advantage and "being important" ..

Bottom-up drivers could exist (if they were ever wanted) and those would create a new democratically individuating economy so long as the State does not favour new Corpocracies .. People need relationships with the rest of society but not a form of sloppy sovietisation dominated by one expanded class .. At UserWatch we think the UK is drifting into a grey slop .

Groups of sargasso-ites mainly from the middle class will rule the new lands of colonial grey grass in the future ..... And the cows will emigrate ..

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Dept Of Health Mental Health Choice Site Goes To Sex Toys & Drugs

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Story By Art De Rivers from NowPublic.com

In researching a story about the link between poor access to treatment choices in Mental Health in the UK, related especially to the Borderline Personality Disorder community , with the case of a sad suicide of a 27 year old woman Kate Logan in mind , part of the research led to the Care Services Improvement Partnership (Dept Of Health run) website .. Specifically to its literature surrounding so called "Choices" in mental health .

Three of the links go to a page topped by "Ann Summers" leading to sex toys, and below are other ads, and amongst them internet drugs that can be obtained online ..What are Government Health Departments playing at ? Who the hell is managing these sites ?

In the wake of Jaqui Smith's (M.P. Home Secretary) husband watching porn at the Public Expense you might think Govt Departments would want their links on their sites to go where they should ..

Try these links the first three documents -

From : Choices In Mental Health CSIP.org Site :

"You can download the 'Our Choices in Mental Health' (framework) and the supporting Checklist which give guidance and ideas on how mental health services should be offering choices to people that use their services.

You can also find out about the choice themed review, and details of the national and regional contacts who are leading on choice.

• Our Choices in Mental Health Leaflet.pdf (PDF 666KB)
  
• Our Choices in Mental Health Framework (PDF 1MB)
• Our Choices in Mental Health Themed Review (PDF 519KB)
• Our Choices in Mental Health Checklist (PDF 270KB) "
  

[End Quote ]

Click To Enlarge Its CSIP (run by DOH) for sure that leads to this

Its worth mentioning that BPD and Personality Disordered people (many of whom have suffered early trauma , seperations and mystification of care-giving) do not have any choices of treatments or consultants in the UK and that is a case for disability discrimination in the UK because the general populace in the UK have choices of who they see as a consultant and where they go for treatment ....

Further Links :


Daily Mail :

"Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's husband was forced to make a humiliating apology this afternoon for causing her embarrassment over an expenses claim which included adult films he watched."

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