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Camden New Journal - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 13 September 2007

Professor Gertrude Falk

Credits-for-meals plans ‘like the old workhouse’

NEW plans to give mental health patients credits for cooking meals and mentoring their peers in day centres are creating “workhouses”, according to a leading neuro-scientist.
Professor Gertrude Falk, of Hampstead, has spoken out against the proposals for three of Camden’s day centres – Crossfields in Swiss Cottage, Barnes House in Camden Town and Holy Cross in King’s Cross.
Professor Falk, 79, said: “Things are getting even worse. The patients themselves are doing the work. It’s like the old workhouse.
“They will get credits for services they deliver within the centres, for example, cooking the meals. They will also get credits for mentoring other patients. For example, four hours of mentoring will merit a free lunch.”
Volunteer charities MIND, Holy Cross and Volunteer Centre Camden won the contract to run the day centres. Specialist support workers will help users access wider services such as education, vocational training, and sports and leisure services.
The centres will offer structured support and services on a drop-in basis. Users will be able to make use of the new day service 365 days of the year.
Alasdair Lees, of Camden Primary Care Trust patient forum, said: “They have come up with the idea that service users can become involved in what’s described as co-production, for example someone could volunteer to help with coffee or a meal or run a support group and would then be credited on a time-banking system so that they could use it on a training course. Some people are quite enthusiastic about it.
“The problem is that somebody might volunteer to make coffee but then they get to the stage where they might not feel they can continue with it but there might be peer pressure to conform when it’s in their best interests to cut back.
“They said nobody will be forced into participating but it’s possible that someone will commit then feel awkward about backing out. That would impinge on the recovery.”
He also suggested some people might not be comfortable confiding in fellow patients acting as mentors.
Mental health services in Camden are undergoing massive changes after Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust announced a programme of £8 million cuts.
In addition to earlier plans to reduce the number of day hospitals from three to two and to cut the number of the borough’s in-patient beds by 25, the trust this week announced it is to hold a public meeting to discuss the possible closure of Tottenham Mews Walk-in Centre.
The meeting will take place on September 25 at the Tottenham Mews centre in Fitzrovia from 1-2pm.

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