Vale ignored (From Penarth Times)

Vale ignored

BRO Taf Health Authority has produced a plan for A New Mental Health Service for Cardiff, which in many ways affects the Vale. But they're consulting the public only in Cardiff, not in the Vale. And the Vale's needs come a poor second.

Cardiff is offered a new day hospital and new buildings for Community Mental Health teams and day care, but Barry and the Vale would get none. Hospital care for neuropsychiatry, addiction, eating disorders and low secure services would all be in Cardiff, as will the new crisis intervention service.

The consultation document says Vale people already have "access to community services near to their own homes." This nonsense is their reason for offering us no improvement in the pretty poor provisions at the Amy Evans etc - and not consulting us on them.

Not that they ignore the Vale - they plan to use it for adult mental health and EMI assessment beds for Cardiff people on the Llandough site. Not marginal extra, but some 100 to 150 beds, in total. They'd push more Cardiff facilities onto a site already suffering from traffic and parking problems, to make it as bad as the Heath Hospital.

They are refusing to consider the alternative of provision at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary. Contrary the Health Service reorganisation, which separates the Vale and Cardiff for health planning from next April, their plan would increase the Vale's dependence and subordination to Cardiff.

Note that the Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust spends more on overheads and capital charges, including PFI debts, and less on patient care than other Trusts. So says the Trust's document Strategic Outline Case. It is criticised for "very low nursing establishments." Recommended levels would cost an extra £5.5million a year.

So we think Bro Taf's bureaucrats are quite wrong to produce a plan over weighted to new buildings, rather than to running effective services with proper levels of mental health care. If you agree, don't waste time on Bro Taf - object instead to the Vale CHC 029 2051 5566 and Jane Hutt AM.

Max Wallis Co-ordinator, Vale Mental Health Campaign Westbourne Road Penarth