Opposing Labour Wirral Council Cuts and Clinical Commisioner Mental Health Cuts

I was asked as a representative of UNISON Cheshire and Wirral Community Health Branch to make a speech at public meeting held on 22nd January In Leasowe, Wirral. Unfortunetly I was unable to attend the event due to a school board of governors meeting taking place on the same night of which I am a member.

Please find below copy of the prepared Speech I sent to be read out on the night setting out my opposition to hypocritical cuts made by Wirral Council and the danger of Mental Health Services being forgotten by commissioners.

Tara Hewitt

UNISON Cheshire and Wirral Community Health Branch Communication/Disability Officer

UNISON National LGBT Committee Co Convenor Transgender Caucus

Decades of neglect and now cuts Its time to defend Mental Health Services

For decades mental health services have always received a raw deal when it has come to funding in the NHS. We have been at the back of the queue whether thats been in discussions lead by politicians from all parties or from the bureaucratic PCTS and health bodies which have always favoured physical health needs. With the radical changes been made to the NHS and the Mess thats been left while the reorganisation is taking place the voice of those standing up for mental health services has been even less, people often not knowing who is responsible for commissioning care in the region.. With Wirral Council making vicious cuts to local services this includes services that impact on local mental health teams, the services are under threat on two fronts from the out of touch GP commissioners and a local council who would rather pay off fat cat execs than fund front line services to the vulnerable.

The cuts being made by wirral council locally will also lead to higher rates of mental health problems as people struggle to cope in tough economic times and find they dont have the same support and access to services they have had in past. All of this will have a significant impact on the capacity of mental health services on the wirral and it is a damning indictment of the council that despite having responability for public health under the new healthcare model their decisions are effecting the vulnerable the most.

In the Wirral members of our community are still not accessing health services and face barriers and discrimination across the health sector. Although the NHS has made progress in the NW over the last 10 years putting the equality agenda on the table, Wirral and Cheshire has not seen the same level of improvement in access as communities have seen in Liverpool, Manchester and even Lancashire. Black and Minority Ethnic communities are significantly more likely to need access to mental health services due to the stigma and discrimination they face in society but yet they are less likely to be accessing mental health services across the NHS and here in Wirral. Lesbian Gay and Bisexual people have higher rates of self harm, suicide attempts and depression but are 30% less likely to access primary health care and even less likely to be accessing on going mental health services due to services not understanding their needs, perceived or actual discrimination and lack of engagement from across the public sector. Transgender people have suicide rates of 40% and self harm rates of 80% or higher yet time and time again they are let down by NHS services and lack of support through mental health commissioning. With cuts been directed more towards mental health services by commissioners its clear that the knife will fall on projects which are looking to improve health outcomes and engage communities to improve access. If the cuts are allowed to be focused on mental health services we will see a further stagnation in the improvements made in relation to equality and even risk slipping back to darker days of years gone by.

The government needs to be listening to real people, real communities and the professionals dealing with the most vulnerable members of our communities they need to ensure commissioners are not ignoring mental health services, ignoring communities and playing lip service to equality but delivering local services which are PERSONAL which are FAIR and which are DIVERSE.

Cheshire and Wirral Community Health Branch fully supports the campaign to defend Mental health services in Wirral and oppose the viciously targeted Wirral council cuts which punish the vulnerable while handing out free ipads to Councillors and golden hand shakes to fat cat executives.

Thank you.

He's Back Again! The Return of Ian Lewis

Over the last few weeks I've had the privilege of helping campaign for local campaigner Ian Lewis in the Leasowe and Moreton East by election. On Thursday night all the his hard work and that of the local campaign team paid of with Ian Lewis winning the election taking the seat off Labour and beating the Tranmere comedian Pauline Daniels after he had lost the seat in the local election in May 2012.

For those of you that don't know, Leasowe & Moreton East is a traditionally Labour ward in the Wallsey Constituency, which is represented by the Shadow Labour Minister Angela Eagle MP. Its often said that Local Conservatives cant win in the "urban north" well to those people I say please come to Leasowe and meet my friend Ian.

Ian has shown over recent years that local politics is about local issues. He has thrown himself into his community supporting community fundraising, allotment projects, supporting local schools and helping out 1000s of local residents with local issues across the ward. People know Cllr Lewis and they know they can rely on him to do the hard work. CCHQ should be watching closely as it this type of hard working community focused non egotistical politico we need as candidates as a party if we are going to make real progress in the North at the next General Election in 2015.

Cllr Ian Lewis and others across Wallasey have been a real inspiration to me within local politics and were one of the reasons I choose Liscard and Wallasey as a place to live, so I could get involved in supporting their hard community work and the local Conservative party in the area. I have seen what a "good" councilor looks like and how a community responds to someone willing to roll up his sleeves and help anyone with their problems no matter how big or small, I see Cllr Lewis as a role model for my self and any one interested in getting involved in local politics and I'm proud to call him a friend!

Having Cllr Ian Lewis on Wirral Council is good news for all of Wirral he will bring a local community focus to issues and will be a strong voice against council waste (such as Flashy new IPads for all Councillors on top of their expenses which he has already launched a campaign against) especially while vital community services are been cut as part of a vicious package of cuts effecting vulnerable people been implemented by the current Labour Council.  

            

Help Keep Puppies Warm!

Merseyside Dog Trust have put out a call across the region to help keep their Dogs and Puppies Warm during this cold weather and winter season. Their washing machine has broken down and so are unable to wash the bedding for the dogs they currently give a home too. They are asking any local residents from across the region to donate blankets and towels to help keep the puppies and dogs warm over the next several weeks while the machines are repaired.

They are absolutely desperate to ensure none of puppies or dogs go cold and to make sure they have fresh bedding to sleep on during the cold nights. Manager from the Trust Said:

"Having our washing machines break down at this time of year will cause huge problems for our dogs as it is far too cold at the moment to run out of warm bedding."

If any local residents can help out our four legged friends please take blankets and towels to the centre at:

Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, 
Merseyside, 
Whiston Lane, 
Huyton, 
Liverpool, 
L36 6HP

or alternatively contact the Dogs Trust on 0151 480 0660 and they can arrange to pick up donated item.

More details about the Trust and Dogs & Puppies seeking a home can be found on the Dog Trust website http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/

Recommend Your Local Doctor?

HAVE YOUR SAY 

ON YOUR DOCTOR

From April the Conservative led government have announced everyone will get chance to recommend their local health services to friends and family through the new NHS "Friends and Family Test".

The new NHS Survey is part of the changes to the NHS that are making services more accountable to local communities and will allow Liscard residents to have a real say on the health services they use. Doctors and Services that have reduced responses and negative feedback will act as a flashing light to service managers and commissioners to improve services and in deciding where new services should be commissioned. Gone have the days of "one size fits all" NHS the future is an NHS that allows residents to choose which services they walk in the door of and half a real influence on which services stay and which go.

The customer satisfaction test approach has been successful amongst organisations from around the world including high profile names such as Apple, a sign of innovation and forward thinking that will help pull the NHS right into 2013 from some of the current outdated processes currently used.

Whats Happening to the YMCA?

Back in 2011 the YMCA in Liscard finally closed its doors after over a century of helping local residents.

Since then the building has stood dormant at the heart of our local community with no word or sound of what is going to become of the building and how can we replace the gap the closure of the centre left to the community.

With Liverpool undergoing millions of pounds in regeneration and the water front plans for the River Mersey looking to transform our skyline whats happening to transform some of the key parts of the heart of communities too on the Wirral?

Its time Wirral Council liaised with the owners to see what can be done to save this historic building and help regenerate our community either through business and third sector partnerships or encouraging outside investment. 

WIRRAL WHISTLE BLOWERS “COUNCIL HAVE LED US DOWN GARDEN PATH”

The whistle Blowers responsible for lifting the lid on the incompetence and mess at Labour Wirral Council around management of local highways have promised to release their “full story” and have accused the Labour ran council of having “led us down a garden path” in a story published by local paper Wirral Globe. 

As a local resident and community campaigner I believe It took a lot of  bravery for those who spoke out to come forward and now it just feels like the council have turned their back on them and are covering up rather than cleaning up the mess and improving services for residents.

As we start a new year here in 2013 people are still waiting for Wirral Council to just say "Sorry" I hope the Labour Council Leader Cllr Phil Davies stand up and stop leading the brave whistle blowers on a magical mystery tour of spin and delays and let all of the council's dirty washing hang out to dry for the local community to judge and better hold the administration to account.

Wirral Council Cut Local Services

Wirral Council

Pay off “Fat Cats”

Whilst Cutting   Local Services

Labour ran Wirral council is spending over £250 000 to pay off the former chief executive and Senior Solicitor as a result of the investigation into the  social care scandal that rocked the council last year.

If pay offs for these two highly paid senior Officers who were at the centre of the social care scandal at the time was not bad enough, it comes at a time when the council have also made a £17 million overspend and so all non essential services have been suspended and the council is planning cuts across most local services which will effect vulnerable residents across Liscard.

At a time when many local residents have received pay freezes or even pay cuts themselves it seems shocking that the council is making these lucrative “golden handshakes” to senior staff and increasing their HR budget overall by £200 000 as well.

Im sure most residents would agree with me that the £450 000 was spent on local residents and services instead of fat cats and red tape within the council especially during these tough economic times.

As a local resident I will be calling on the council to stop the culture of golden handshakes and spiraling management costs and ask them to find other measures to save money across their administration that will help protect local services especially those used by residents here in Liscard. We are in difficult economic times with many families having to manage a tight budget after Christmas, Wirral council should be no different the Labour ran council need some home economic lessons (maybe from other successful councils) to ensure just like families across Wirral they are able to provide for those they are responsible for instead of making headline grabbing cuts and passing the buck to the government, well I have a message for Labour Council Leader Cllr Phil Davies THE BUCK STOPS HERE IN WIRRAL!