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Day centre helps people to survive in wider world
• AS readers will know, one of the handful of mental health day centres funded by Camden Council, the Jamestown Centre, has been closed by Camden’s Tory-Lib Dem administration following the so-called Best Value Review.
Now the future of the Highgate Centre is being reviewed.
The reasons given for this is the need to develop a social inclusion/recovery service, the gap in user-run services, and under-representation of minority ethnic groups.
Service users understandably fear this will just lead to another closure or cuts that will cripple the centre.
Visiting the centre, I was struck by the value of this “therapeutic community”. For some residents this is the only community and social life they have.
Without it, they would suffer severe isolation, which often leads to hospitalisation, suicides and other social problems. It was clear that the centre empowers users, and helps them to survive in the wider world. The stories were inspiring.
Colin Plant, Camden Director of the Camden and Islington Mental Health and Primary Care Trust, told users that if the best option for running the centre involved keeping expenditure the same, Camden would seek to do this. I hope this turns out to be the case, after his deputy suggested cuts of £190,000 – a substantial part of the centre’s budget. Cutting this service is likely to mean higher NHS costs as well as the human costs of isolation and decline into a more severe condition.
CLLR MAYA DE SOUZA
Green Party, Highgate Ward
A lifeline
• THE Highgate Mental Health Day Centre has been running for 32 years.
It provides effective treatment for serious long-term problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. The centre applies methods such as psychodynamic or socially interactive group therapy.
The Labour administration carried out a careful study of mental health services, under the Best Value Review. The proposal for Highgate Centre, under that review, was to transform it into a service for people with personality disorders. Now we hear that another service has been opened elsewhere by the NHS, and the Highgate Centre may be subject to the draconian two-third cut. This cut was not flagged up in the budget process for 2007/8. Councillor Martin Davies, executive member adult social care, has stated that this is a proposal by officers to balance the budget.
The mental health trust identified the Highgate Centre for cuts because they thought it’s a soft touch and easy to make savings at the immense suffering of the patients.
I find it very ill thought out, insensible and a hasty decision taken by the Lib-Dem Tory coalition to cut two-thirds of the funding, having no concern for the service users who will face regular hospital admissions in absence of the professional therapeutic support.
The centre is providing a vital lifeline
CLLR SYED HOQUE
Labour, Haverstock Ward
Duty of care
• DONALD MacAngus’ letter (October 25) talks about wasted time and ‘dangerous group therapy’ at the Highgate Centre, which is a bizarre and idiosyncratic opinion at best.
In actuality, the day is filled with interactive groups, large and small, individual sessions with counsellors, kitchen and other duties and activities such as art, pottery, photography, voice and creative writing – all in a therapeutic and community setting.
Most people realise that therapy often raises difficult issues but as the expression goes there is no gain without pain. Many of these problems are best resolved in a group setting where people find structure, support, feedback and purpose.
Camden owes a duty of care to people with these problems. No other mental health service in Camden is suited for them. That is why users are campaigning to prevent crippling cuts and preserve the integrity of the community.
HUGH STURROCK
for Users’ Group
Gascony Avenue, NW6
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