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Advocate anxieties
• ISLINGTON Mind has been awarded the contract to provide the hospital and community mental health advocacy service in Camden.
I work for the service user directorate within Together, a national mental health charity based in Islington. In the summer we submitted a bid within the recent round of tenders for day services in Camden. This contract was won by a consortia of Camden-based providers who were already delivering day services.
Therefore, I was surprised to discover that the contract for advocacy services had been awarded to a non-borough-based provider, Islington Mind. This contract had also been awarded in what seemed like a very short space of time – four weeks. It also appeared to be awarded without any competitive tendering.
I have since been told that Camden Primary Care Trust (PCT) board agreed to limit the competitive process to two organisations, Camden and Islington Mind. How were service users within Camden involved in the tendering and decision making process? I have been told that Camden Mental Health Consortium (CMHC) was invited to be represented on the tendering panel, but was unable to be involved.
As a Camden service user I am not aware of any recent consultation around awarding the advocacy service. I am concerned to hear that the CMHC was not involved within the tendering panel. CMHC is the voice of service users within Camden. Could I urge concerned Camden residents and those who use or care about mental health services to challenge the PCT over the way it has decided how the contract for advocacy services was awarded.
I am not happy to have the PCT board make decisions on my behalf without consulting me about who would be my advocate if I am in distress and in need of support.
SARA STANTON
Together
Old Street, EC1
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