Southwark: Mental health clinic threatened with closure

Supporters of a mental health clinic threatened with closure fear a consultation into its future will be a sham after hearing the manager will be moved - reports ICSouthLondon.

The Felix Post Unit at the Maudsley Hospital in Denmark Hill faces the axe and a consultation is due to start in August.

But this week, campaigners learnt its manager of 11 years is to be moved to another job.

A source close to the clinic said: "She would be out by the end of the month. We all feel that they are attacking the service by stealth.

"They are taking out its very strong leader before the consultation begins."

The South London Press has been told the manager is now looking into launching a complaint through her union.

Lois Austin, from the Keep Our NHS Public campaign, said: "This consultation is going to be a sham. They are winding the clinic down so that when it comes to the consultation they can say it's not really operating and use that as an excuse to close it."

Tony Farsky, a former patient at the clinic and campaigner through the Southwark Pensioners' Action Group,said: "They are effectively closing the place, it is despicable.

"The staff there are very dedicated to their jobs and this is no way to treat them."

The South London Press put the claims to the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust which refused to deny the manager was being moved.

In a statement, it said: "We do not discuss routine, individual staffing issues with the media. However, it is not uncommon for staff to be offered secondment opportunities elsewhere within the trust."

The news comes in the same week that campaigners learnt that Simon Hughes, MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey, plans to present a petition in Parliament on cuts at the Maudsley before the end of the month.

The petition, which now has more than 5,000 signatures, calls for the new Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, to look again at the decision made by his predecessor, Patricia Hewitt, allowing the Maudsley Hospital's 24-hour emergency clinic to close.

Sheffield: Experts voice flood defence fears

Flood defence experts in England have written to the government to voice their "deep concern" about the maintenance of defences in the future - reports the BBC.

They say much more money is needed for improvements or flooding will cost the country and the economy dearly.

The letter, sent to Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, has been signed by the chairmen of all the flood defence committees in England.

In it, they say they cannot overstate the impact the recent flooding had.

They give the example of Sheffield and Rotherham, South Yorkshire, which came very close to losing all their power for an extended period.

The chairmen add that the growing intensity of extreme weather events means flooding will become more frequent and that current levels of funding are not sufficient to carry out the work that is needed.

The letter calls for more investment to manage the problem because, they say, the country has no choice but to adapt to its changing climate.

It was contained in the minutes of the meeting of the Yorks Regional Flood Defence Committee, which has been taking place in Leeds.

The Environment Agency says it will need to spend £750m a year over the next three years to protect areas threatened by floods.

The amount currently offered by the government falls short, meaning a number of projects have been put on hold.

These include a £100m scheme for Leeds, and plans to replace York's defences, which have been deemed inadequate.

The agency also estimates that it needs £150m a year over the next 10 years just to bring its existing assets up to standard.

Cleethorpes: Public meeting over ward closure

People are being given the chance to hear discussions over the planned closure of a hospital ward for elderly patients in North East Lincolnshire - reports the BBC.

Officials at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby plan to close the C4 ward by 1 October.

They say the reason for the move is a drop in the need for beds.

Staff, the public and unions have raised concerns. A public meeting will be held at Grimsby Town Hall at 1630 BST on Wednesday.

When the closure plan was announced last month, nurse Paul Watson-Rigg told the BBC it had had a "very negative and demoralising effect on the staff".

The meeting has been organised by North East Lincolnshire Council's older people scrutiny panel.

Andrew North, chief executive of the trust which runs the hospital, will be there to talk about the proposed closure.

Stoke: What price for a life?

One of the two kidney cancer patients being denied a wonder-drug by North Staffordshire's NHS has died.

Married mother-of-one Carole Buckley had been refused Nexavar treatment on the NHS by North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT).

The 48-year-old was still waiting for the result of her appeal against the PCT's decision when she died last week.

Mrs Buckley has told The Sentinel in June: "Unless the PCT decides I can have this drug, there is nothing else for me. I find it really scary that my life is in someone else's hands."

News of Mrs Buckley's death has angered fellow kidney cancer sufferer Angelena Buxton who is also being denied Nexavar by the same PCT.

The 56-year-old is paying £3,200 a month for Nexavar herself and has launched the Need Nexavar Now campaign to try to force the PCT's hand.

Angelena, who lives in Baldwins Gate, said: "If Carole could have gone on the drug for a couple of months it might have made all the difference. She has been going all this year without treatment.

"I know the PCT only has so many funds but it should preserve the sanctity of life. That's what doctors swear in their oath but it is not being done.

"Carole was a lovely person. We had spoken lots on the phone. She was frightened but it was the only option. I'm thinking now of her family - her husband and daughter."

After being refused the drug Mrs Buckley, who lived in Scholar Green and had her GP in Kidsgrove, had started pioneering stem-cell transplant treatment at Christie's Hospital, Manchester.

Angelena said: "She was very nervous about going in when I spoke to her three weeks ago. She had made the decision that she couldn't afford Nexavar.

"She had been told it would have been better if she could have gone on Nexavar first but because she couldn't afford it and the PCT wouldn't fund it they brought it forward."

Angelena's sister Gemma Austin, aged 62, of Trentham said: "I'm devastated. I believe she has been condemned to death by the PCT. Why couldn't they have paid for the drug?

"I didn't know her personally but I know what her and her family have gone through.

"What price is there on a life? Even if it didn't suit her the PCT could have let her try."

Nexavar is licensed for use in the UK but no national guidelines for its use have been issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice).

How can any MPs seriously be considering gifting the EU billions more pounds a year - a 60% increase in payments - while auditors can't explain where the "majority" of the £3.5bn a year we already hand over has been going for the last twelve years, and while this kind of drug rationing in the NHS is costing lives?

People's lives clearly depend on that money. MPs shouldn't be content to vote it away to wasteful and already lavishly-funded organisations like the EU, or they can expect to pay the price for such irresponsibility come the next election.

Norfolk: Ministers warned over flood budget cuts

Ministers were last night urged to pump millions more into Norfolk's flood defences to prevent communities being swept away by water - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

Norfolk County Council is lobbying new environment secretary Hilary Benn to restore a £20m cut made to the Environment Agency's flood defence funding for the Anglian region.

This year the agency's spending on flood risk management in the region has been slashed from £99m to £79m.

Ian Monson, cabinet member for the environment and waste, has written to Mr Benn warning that the funding squeeze could seriously compromise the Agency's abilities to carry out its duties.

“We feel it will accumulate if we don't put the right resources in properly to manage our flood defences properly they could be in danger in the future,” he said.

“It is a warning. There's a definite feeling from people here in Norfolk along the coasts and river banks that things are getting worse. This is rapidly becoming a major concern.

"It's not only coastal defences, it's riverbanks, and doing the remedial work in clearing silt out of the rivers.

“We took a big knock for funding in this region and clearly we have suffered with flooding. We need to get this reinstated and put the budget back.” he said.

Last month MPs warned that swathes of lowland East Anglia could be routinely deluged because of a neglect of the region's flood defences.

It followed a hard hitting report by the National Audit Office stating that the Environment Agency was not doing enough to protect property and businesses.

North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham, who quizzed Mr Benn about the extra funding in Parliament, said it was vital extra cash would be found for sea defences.

“We need to make sure that the sea defences budget is increased,” he said. “Luckily in Norfolk very few of the rivers flood, but the main danger is from the sea and a lot of my constituency could well disappear.

“Defra has been hit really hard by the rural payments fiasco and the money has had to be found elsewhere in the budget. They have had a rough settlement from the government and there are good reasons to be concerned about the government's commitment to Defra and the countryside.

“Maybe these floods are a wake up call but the devil is going to be in the detail,” he added.

Steve Wheatley, the Environment Agency's flood manager for the Anglian region, said the region had lost out following a funding change which saw cash handed out based on national priorities.

“Overall it would help if there was more money for flood risk management and we do manage with a limited pot,” he said.

Are Norfolk's MPs really going to vote to reward the audit-failing EU with an extra £2.5bn a year, while their county is under threat of disappearing underwater unless there is greater investment in flood defences?

Henry Bellingham MP, at least, has confirmed that he will vote to block the EU budget deal while there are such urgent and crucial local needs for extra investment.

But what about Norfolk's other MPs? Should the worst happen, are they going to risk being seen to have taken a terrible decision with scarce public money, and to have massively betrayed their constituents' interests?

Flood-hit Hull a 'forgotten city'

Hull has become the "forgotten city" after suffering some of the worst flooding damage, the BBC reports today.

Council leader Carl Minns said it could take two years for the city to recover.

"We are the forgotten city in this disaster," said Mr Minns who has called for urgent government help for the 17,000 properties affected.

Some £18m is being earmarked for repairs to thousands of wrecked homes.

Mr Minns said: "What we have in Sheffield and Doncaster is terrible and my heart-felt sympathy goes out to those people.

"But their problems have been fairly localised, whereas ours is spread right across the city. Hull also needs help.

"We are starting to rebuild but the city won't recover for around two years.

"The Government needs to help this city with a large injection of capital, otherwise this city will not recover."

Are MPs going to vote £2.5bn away to the audit-failing EU - by approving the EU budget deal - while that money is clearly urgently needed not only to provide relief and support in areas hit by the recent terrible flooding, but also to help ensure it doesn't happen again?

Now more than ever it's time for MPs to demonstrate a high degree of responsibility with scarce public funds.

Call for improved dementia care

The NHS must urgently address failings in dementia care if it is to cope with future demands, reports the BBC.

The number of people with dementia is expected to rise by a third in the next 15 years, but the National Audit Office said it was not enough of a priority.

The report said England lagged behind other European countries over early diagnosis and access to drugs.

It likened the situation to cancer in the 1950s when patients were not told about it due to a lack of treatment.

The NAO said only a third of people with dementia are ever formally diagnosed, with many GPs failing to recognise the importance of early diagnosis.

The report said the UK was in the bottom third of European countries for giving drugs to dementia patients, while the average time taken to diagnose patients was twice as long as in some other countries.

It comes as the High Court considers a challenge by drugs companies, backed by the Alzheimer's Society, regarding the decision by the NHS to restrict the use of key Alzheimer's drugs.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which advises the NHS on what treatments to use, has said the drugs Aricept (donepezil), Exelon (rivastigmine) and Reminyl (galantamine) are not cost effective for patients in the early stages of the disease.

It has also said another drug, Ebixa (memantine) - which is licensed for use in the later stages of the disease - should not be recommended for anyone.

Judgment in the case has been reserved, with a ruling expected by early August.

Around 560,000 people in England are estimated to have dementia but, as the population ages, that figure is expected to rise to 750,000 by 2020.

The report put the cost to the NHS and social services of caring for people with dementia at at least £3.3bn a year.

But when other costs, such as carer's time are taken into account, the overall economic burden is estimated to be £14.3bn a year.

The NAO said two thirds of people with dementia live in the community, largely looked after by nearly 500,000 informal carers, who lack support from the NHS.

It also called for more specialist services to be set up.

NAO head Sir John Bourn said: "For too long dementia has not been treated as a high priority.
"Without redesign, services for people with dementia are likely to become increasingly inconsistent and unsustainable."

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "We must develop health and social care services that can respond to the challenge of dementia."

And Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said she hoped the criticisms would lead to the government "getting its act together".

"Too few people are being diagnosed or being diagnosed early enough and things are only going to get worse in the years to come as the population grows older," she said.

Health Minister Ivan Lewis said dementia was "one of the greatest challenges facing our society".

He said funding had been increased and incentives set up to encourage GPs to identify dementia early.

But he added: "We know a lot more needs to be done. We have a duty to strengthen mental health services so they ensure older people and their families are treated at all times with dignity and respect."

So the government acknowledges that "a lot more needs to be done" and they "have a duty to strengthen mental health services".

Yet in reality they're choosing to instead lavish a completely unjustified extra £2.5bn a year on the EU (on top of the annual £3.5bn net we already pay) rather than take greater steps towards fulfilling that self-declared "duty".

Ivan Lewis himself, even after uttering the words above, will no doubt be among the MPs happily rewarding the EU's twelve years of audit failure with this multi-billion pound boost in funding, when he votes on the EU budget deal.

Why should we stand for such blatant hypocrisy from our MPs - and people in great need going without support - while the EU enjoys even more lavish funding?