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All Party Parliamentary Group on Eating Disorders report

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All Party Parliamentary Group on Eating Disorders report

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All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on eating disorders published a report on 22nd January 2025, describing services as "woefully inadequate"

The report detailed the failure of NHS services to meet the needs of those living with eating disorders.

The report points to an alarming rise in disorders such as anorexia and bulimia in the past decade. According to 2023 statistics, 12% of all 17-19 year olds, and nearly 21% of young women have an eating disorder and two to three million UK adults of all ages could be affected at some point in their lives.

Hospital admissions for eating disorders in England have steadily increased in the last two decades and surged since the pandemic, with 31,000 admissions in 2023-4.

The APPG calls on the Government to:

develop a national strategy for eating disorders

provide additional funding for eating disorder services. This funding should address the demand for both adult and children’s services

launch a confidential inquiry into all eating disorder deaths

increase research funding for eating disorders. The aim is to enhance treatment outcomes and ultimately discover a cure for eating disorders.

ensure non-executive director oversight for adult and children's eating disorder services. This oversight and accountability should be implemented in all NHS Trusts and Health Boards in the UK.

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APPG Report_ The Right To Health_Final one all checked

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1 Read more about disorders, disorder, nervosa, anorexia, intervention and funding.

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Findings discussed at York Health and Wellbeing Board

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Findings discussed at York Health and Wellbeing Board

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Health and Wellbeing Board, 25 July 2023

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Rebuild Trust was formed in 2021 following the tragic deaths of patients whilst they were in the care of Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV). We are made up of relatives, friends and patients (both former and current) who have tragically lost loved ones or have experienced grave deterioration in our own or our loved one's mental health. We have come together through shared experiences and a growing concern for the past and present practices at TEWV.

These families along with many others have now united with a common goal to Rebuild Trust and reduce the number of deaths and serious patient safety incidents throughout the Trust.

The purpose of forming this group is to give a collective voice to those individuals and to lobby for a public inquiry into the practices at TEWV.

We strongly believe that without a fully transparent inquiry lessons will not be learned, more lives will be lost and the ever increasing distrust of our community's health service will dissuade people from seeking the help they so desperately need.

Now is the time to come together and push for change to ensure we have trust and confidence, that appropriate and adequate 'help' is available for our local community and the wider community going forward. Crucially we do not want other families to suffer like so many have before.

In the past a large number of families have approached and complained to TEWV, raising concerns regarding the treatment of their loved ones. The Trust assure families that improvements will be made and new processes put in place. Sadly, this has not happened in the majority of cases and the same failings are being repeated time and time again.

It was highlighted early on that these individuals would achieve very little alone, and due to press coverage reporting similar stories of families who had lost loved ones, it became apparent that there were a number of families who are in a similar position and are aware of the failings and suffering of patients within the Trust.

David Moore, the father of Emily Moore who tragically died whilst an inpatient at Lanchester Road Hospital, set up a Facebook Group for individuals pushing for vital changes within the Trust. This Facebook Group quickly gained traction, other groups started to appear on different social media platforms and it was instantly obvious that failings within the Trust were on a larger scale than first realised.

Hundreds of families are now aware that they are not alone. Many have kindly provided their experiences either as a patient of TEWV or as a relative of a patient of TEWV. These families refuse to give up and are determined to see major changes within the Trust which they believe is currently not fit for purpose.

Closure of West Lane Hospital - Due to Inadequacies

West Lane Hospital, which offered inpatient and outpatient Children's Mental Health Services was closed down by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2019 after the tragic deaths of Christie Harnett and Nadia Sharif who died as inpatients at West Lane within a couple months of each other. Emily Moore had also been a patient at this facility just several months prior to her death. The CQC stated that the care provided at West Lane was 'inadequate' and that 'patients were at high risk of avoidable harm'. This is thought to be the first time that the CQC have ever closed an NHS Children's Mental Health Hospital due to concerns. You can read more regarding the closure of West Lane Hospital here, http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/17973311.final-report-west-lane-hospital-middlesbrough-released-cqc/

There are currently investigations looking into the failings of the Trust whereby numerous patients, including children, have died whilst receiving in-patient care or shortly after being discharged from in-patient services. A high number of patients suffered severe harm whilst as a patient under the Trust and as a result have been left with lifelong physical and psychological injuries. Investigations alone are not enough as there needs to be transparency and a full public injury to truly unveil how so many incidents have occurred; and so many young lives have been lost or severely impacted.

We, as family members who have lost a loved one, have suffered ourselves or have watched a loved one suffer unnecessarily are campaigning for a public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, where witnesses would be required to give evidence on oath and in public, holding people within the Trust to account.

We need to put a stop to this before more innocent people lose their lives. We need to Rebuild Trust.

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TEWV taken to court over the deaths of three young people 

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TEWV taken to court over the deaths of three young people 

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Mental health trust in court over deaths of three patients | ITV News

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The charges against Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust relate to the care of Christie Harnett, Emily Moore, and another woman. | ITV News Tyne Tees

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York Press: Survivor speaks out amid claims that York mental health services ‘in crisis’

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York Press: Survivor speaks out amid claims that York mental health services ‘in crisis’

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Survivor speaks out amid claims that York mental health services ‘in crisis’

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A YORK man who once tried to take his own life says prompt mental health support when needed can literally be a life-saver.

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York residents' views on our mental health crisis care research

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York residents' views on our mental health crisis care research

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At the York Voices network meeting (2nd February) attendees were shown some of our findings from our mental health crisis care research.
These are their thoughts on what they were shown.

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The government is publishing a draft Mental Health Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny, to modernise the Mental Health Act for the 21st century.

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First look at findings from our mental health crisis care research 

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First look at findings from our mental health crisis care research 

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Slides 8-40 detail some initial themes and quotes that attendees were shown at the meeting (2nd February). Their responses are shown in the post above.

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Independent Review of Governance at TEWV March 2023

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Independent Review of Governance at TEWV March 2023

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West Lane: Teenagers died after failures at ‘unstable’ hospital

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Christie Harnett, Nadia Sharif and Emily Moore took their own lives within months of each other.

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BBC report: NHS crisis lines failing to answer suicide calls

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BBC report: NHS crisis lines failing to answer suicide calls

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Suicidal patients in England are being put at risk of serious harm, with one in five calls to NHS helplines going unanswered, BBC research shows.

One caller said after repeatedly trying to get through, staff eventually told her to "think happy thoughts".

Coroners have expressed fears over how patients are assessed. One man who died told staff he wanted to end his life, but was not referred for support.

NHS England said crisis lines had seen "record demand".

It said it had made £7m available to local areas to improve their crisis lines, to "ensure that everyone receives the support they need".

Run by NHS mental health trusts, crisis lines receive over 200,000 calls each month across England.

They aim to signpost patients to services, and provide access to urgent mental health support by phone for adults - and in some areas under-18s - at high risk of suicide. They were seen as key to making mental health support more accessible during the pandemic.

But figures collated by the BBC through Freedom of Information requests, from 29 of the 47 mental health trusts with crisis lines, show that at least 418,000 calls went unanswered in 2021-22.

That means 20% of calls to these trusts weren't answered - with some areas performing far better than others.

In 10 trusts, some people waited more than an hour for their call to be answered.

The BBC has spoken to more than a dozen crisis line callers who say their safety or their lives have been put at risk.

Hannah, who has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, says on one occasion when she was suicidal it took her seven calls - across two days - to get through.

"I've literally been crying my eyes out and I've left a message on the answer phone and no-one's ever got back to me.

"Your brain already makes you feel that you're alone. And then to have the people that are meant to care not answer, it makes it 10 times worse."

When Hannah did get through to the helpline, she said she explained she no longer wanted to be alive, but was told to "think happy thoughts and read a book" - before the staff member blamed her for "not wanting to help yourself" and ended the call.

Hannah says she took herself to A&E, a decision she believes may have saved her life, and was later sectioned.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has since apologised, saying Hannah's calls should have been returned and the advice given by staff was "not appropriate". It said improvements had been made.

Fewer than one in six trusts that responded to the BBC's request for data said all their crisis line staff were qualified mental health professionals.

Former staff members at three different NHS Trusts have told the BBC that after being hired, they were not given training on assessing or supporting patients.

"You're expected to learn on the job, which is disappointing when you're dealing with people's lives," said ex-employee Sophie - not her real name - who left her role in mid-2022.

She was a call handler whose role it was to assess patient risk and - where someone was in need of urgent support - pass their call to a "responder", who in most cases would be a qualified mental health nurse.

But Sophie said that because of staffing pressures, "very often" the responders were busy, and so suicidal patients would be asked to wait for help.

"We would then try to call them back within 15 minutes. But it wasn't always possible."

Staff were told to limit the time spent speaking to callers to meet demand, she said, but this detracted from their ability to provide compassionate care. "You forget about the human factor."

In 2022, coroners investigating deaths published two Prevention of Future Deaths reports - written to alert the wider healthcare system to issues of concern - that highlighted concerns about crisis lines.

In one case, the coroner found the individual in question had called his local NHS crisis line and described himself "as 'suicidal',wanting to die... [and] scared that that he might try and take his own life".

The caller was not recognised by the service to have been in a mental health crisis, the inquest found, and no referral for crisis or urgent support was made. He was found dead by loved ones the following day.

In his report, the coroner found there had been "difficulties in recruitment" of staff, which were associated with levels of service funding.

He said call handlers did not always have enough time to effectively assess patient risk, which "creates a risk of future deaths" and was a concern "experienced nationally".

The trust acknowledged the "advice given and lack of onward referral appeared to be an inadequate response", the report said.

Prof Sonia Johnson, an expert in community psychiatry at University College London, believes staffing pressures in the wider mental health system have led to demand for crisis services among patients unable to get the long-term support they need.

She said it was a "major problem" if such callers were unable to access helplines in a timely manner.

"The purpose of crisis lines should really be to make access to support easy, to make it easy not to go to A&E."

"The great pressures that there are on [A&E] services at the moment make it doubly important to have alternatives."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said by 2024 its workforce investment "will deliver an additional 27,000 mental health professionals and give two million more people the help they need".

In Scotland and Wales, mental health support is available through NHS 111. Northern Ireland has its own crisis response hotline, Lifeline.

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Mental health: NHS crisis lines failing to answer suicide calls

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Suicidal patients in England are being put at risk of serious harm, with one in five calls to NHS helplines going unanswered, BBC research shows. One caller said after repeatedly trying to get through, staff eventually told her to "think happy thoughts". Coroners have expressed fears over how patients are assessed.

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Healthwatch York report into mental health crisis care June 2023

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Healthwatch York report into mental health crisis care June 2023

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Northern Echo: Boss of crisis-hit NHS trust facing damning accounts from 'let down' staff and patients

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Northern Echo: Boss of crisis-hit NHS trust facing damning accounts from 'let down' staff and patients

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Tees, Esk, and Wear Valleys NHS Trust has faced calls for a public inquiry after another inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) uncovered more problems last year.

Chief executive Brent Kilmurray defended efforts to turn things around at a Stockton Council meeting this week.

But not before he faced a whistleblower and former employee - as well as accounts from staff and a patient retold by a councillor.

Read more: Teesport tug boat workers announce strikes in March

TEWV was told a "poor culture" was seen on some of its wards after inspectors visited forensic services last summer.

While patients said they were able to provide feedback and suggestions on improvements through ward meetings, CQC inspectors also spotted "interventions which were not always respectful and kind".

The report went on to find staff did not always feel respected, supported and valued - with workers in forensic services describing a "toxic culture".

Thornaby councillor Luke Frost lodged a motion last month calling for Stockton leaders to request national leaders launch a public inquiry into the troubled trust.

Cllr Frost read out emails he'd been sent at this week's adult social care and health select committee after telling trust chiefs he felt "let down by the trust".

The member for Mandale and Victoria said: "I want to read an email that made me feel emotional and angry at the same time:

"'The failings I've endured as a result of seeking help from TEWV have left me traumatised, chronically suicidal, and a shadow of my former self.

"'I consider myself alive today not because of TEWV but in spite of them' - that to me does not read of great leadership, or any journey to change."

Cllr Frost told the panel he'd also received messages from trust staff.

He added: "Some of them talk about being left alone at night, rapid inductions and asking new members of staff to shadow them without prior knowledge - the response back was thank you for raising your concern, carry on.

"That's the culture and leadership I see from TEWV."

'Journey to change'

TEWV launched its "journey to change" in 2021 - a five year plan to turn itself around.

Mr Kilmurray apologised to those who'd had difficult and bad experiences at the trust.

But he told Cllr Frost they were working to change.

The chief executive said: "This whole piece of work we're trying to do around our journey to change is to try to get underneath a number of the issues you've highlighted.

"We do provide forums for people who have concerns, anonymously or named, to come forward and raise issues.

"We do try, where we can and we have enough information about the issue raised, to address those and signal a way forward."

The trust boss added there were "pockets in the organisation" which had issues but said they were working on it - pointing to a "big piece of work" in forensic services launched this week.

Mr Kilmurray said: "The real clear golden thread through our plan is around culture and addressing some of those issues - that's something which was identified at the very beginning of this journey.

"That's a big piece of work to get through and it's going to take us a little time, I'm afraid, to do.

"The leadership work we're doing is a really massive start."

He added it was complex and a "work in progress" but believed they were taking "significant steps forward".

Facing the whistleblower

Mr Kilmurray took the top job at the trust in summer 2020 in the wake of troubles at West Lane Hospital - now Acklam Road.

Last year, the chief executive said there was a lot of work still to do in the wake of the latest CQC verdict - with staffing pressures a "common issue" and absences at an all time high.

Cllr Ray Godwin revealed he had "blown the whistle" at the trust at a council meeting last month after almost three decades at the organisation.

He told the committee they'd been continually reassured TEWV was making progress - but he simply didn't believe it was.

Cllr Godwin said: "The friends and family surveys in forensic services have deteriorated - your staff retention and sickness are as high as they've ever been.

"The (forensic) service has deteriorated from good to inadequate.

"I was employed in forensic services for 28 years - 26 happy years and two years where I raised concerns to the board at all levels, both as a governor and as a member of staff.

"I also raised concerns as a councillor, I've raised concerns to the CQC and the end result was, in my personal experience, that TEWV didn't address any of it - and that's clearly evident in the CQC report."

Chess pieces

Cllr Godwin also claimed there'd been "no consequence at all" for senior leaders at the trust in the wake of its troubles.

He accused the trust of "moving chess pieces" when it came to a management shake-up - and criticised the board for being "unable to hold the executive directors to account" for problems.

Cllr Godwin added: "How are you going to assure us things are going to change? "We've had three years - and 19 months under your reign Brent - without change.

"On a personal level, none of my concerns made any difference because we're sat here today - which proves they were not acted on, listened to, or were able to be turned around."

Trust chiefs disagreed with Cllr Godwin's views.

Mr Kilmurray said there had been "significant change" since he took up the chief executive post - saying they were "on a journey" with complex issues to face.

He added: "I'm not going to comment on accountability conversations, or issues on individuals, but one thing highlighted was there has been significant turnover and change in the senior leadership and in the organisation."

The chief executive also said they were increasing the clinical leadership at the trust.

"We're changing the shape of the leadership team, we're changing the emphasis and the conversations in those leadership teams which will drive that change.

He added: "We've got a good plan - we've got momentum now. We will see that change."

Turning round an oil tanker

Trust board chairman Paul Murphy didn't agree with Cllr Godwin's "chess pieces" analogy.

He added: "We have, in the months since Brent arrived, changed the medical director, the HR director, the finance director, corporate affairs and had four non-executive directors coming from outside.

"So this feels like a fresh team. It's not the same team that it was."

Families and campaigners called for an inquiry into the trust last year after a string of deaths.

Mr Murphy told the committee there was an "almost complete turnaround" in the TEWV board - with the panel hearing how attitudes had changed.

He added: "It's not the same atmosphere on the board because the events of West Lane and the CQC have shaken us and made us refresh the way in which we do our business."

The board leader also stressed it wasn't the "same old, same old".

Mr Murphy added: "The whole tone has changed - I think there is an air of humility about TEWV these days.

"We recognise we haven't got it right quite a lot of the time and we need to do more listening.

"And really listening - active listening.

"Not just pretend listening, but really listening to what people are saying to us.

"That includes families, carers and patients.

"But like Brent says, it doesn't change overnight.

"It is an oil tanker."

'Our feet are to the flames'

The CQC rated forensic services inadequate in their latest report - with the whole trust still judged as "requiring improvement".

Despite the answers, Cllr Godwin did not believe senior leaders had been accountable at TEWV for its problems.

He added: "None of these people have lost their jobs, been disciplined or held up in public for their failings - what about accountability?

"Are we going to have any accountability within TEWV, or are we just moving on?"

Mr Kilmurray declined to comment on individuals - but added TEWV was "significantly held to account" by its regulators, the CQC, NHS England through its accountability regimes.

"Our feet are to the flames," he added.

"We've got no doubt we're being held to account for our actions here and people within the system want to see us make progress.

"To go back to Cllr Frost's comments - and the emails he's received.

"That's my accountability really - to those people to make sure we can change to make things better."

Culture concerns

Cllr Frost then read out another letter from a member of staff who "feared the trust's whistleblowing policy".

He added: "I recently read Brent Kilmurray's latest blog with growing despair. Myself and my colleagues have worked tirelessly throughout covid.

"We often have such poor staffing that we're unable to take breaks or complete optimum patient care tasks.

"These environments are often so busy that we're unable to take adequate PPE breaks, remaining in masks and gear for eight, ten or 12 hours at a time.

"It's amazing they feel they can come to a ward member with stuff like this, but not to any leadership within TEWV for fear of it being spread as whistleblowing.

"We talk about culture in the organisation - I think this is something that I feel has to be looked at."

Read more:Butterwick hospice suffering from fallout of disgraced CEO

Mr Kilmurray didn't disagree - but added they had processes in place and people did raise issues.

The chief executive said: "We're not saying it's endemic or massive, but people will come forward with a complaint.

"I won't get into the specifics but people within the organisation have many different routes which they can use to actually raise their concerns via Freedom to Speak Up, or directly to the CQC which I know people do from time to time.

"I'm sorry that member of staff doesn't feel able to use those routes which are anonymous - but we're doing our best to reinforce them.

"We want to create an environment where people do feel free to raise those through management so they're heard and we act on those concerns."

TEWV bosses will appear before the Tees Valley joint health scrutiny committee next month which will decide whether it wants to write to the Secretary of State and back a public inquiry.

Councillors on Stockton's health select committee will then decide their own stance on the inquiry calls.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054

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Boss of crisis-hit NHS trust facing damning accounts from 'let down' staff and patients

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Tees, Esk, and Wear Valleys NHS Trust has faced calls for a public inquiry after another inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) uncovered more problems last year. Chief executive Brent Kilmurray defended efforts to turn things around at a Stockton Council meeting this week.

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BBC Report: Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys health trust warned over patient safety

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BBC Report: Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys health trust warned over patient safety

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The unannounced visits in January were to three wards at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough, one at West Park Hospital in Darlington and one at Cross Lane Hospital in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

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Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys health trust warned over patient safety

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The unannounced visits in January were to three wards at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough, one at West Park Hospital in Darlington and one at Cross Lane Hospital in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

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BBC Report: West Lane Hospital: Grieving families call for public inquiry into trust

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BBC Report: West Lane Hospital: Grieving families call for public inquiry into trust

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West Lane Hospital: Grieving families call for public inquiry into trust

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Three girls died within an eight-month period at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust facilities.

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Death By A Thousand Cuts: Report into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust “BPD+” Protocol

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Death By A Thousand Cuts: Report into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust “BPD+” Protocol

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Independent review into the Mental Health Act which is the predecessor to the 2023 Draft Mental Health Bill above

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Tell us whether you accept cookies

We use cookies to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve government services.

The Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 has set out recommendations for government on how the Act and associated practice needs to change.

Details

The final report sets out recommendations covering 4 principles that the review believes should underpin the reformed Act:

choice and autonomy - ensuring service users' views and choices are respected

least restriction - ensuring the Act's powers are used in the least restrictive way

therapeutic benefit - ensuring patients are supported to get better, so they can be discharged from the Act

people as individuals - ensuring patients are viewed and treated as rounded individuals

The review looked at:

rising rates of detention under the Act

the disproportionate number of people from black and minority ethnic groups detained under the Act

processes that are out of step with a modern mental health care system

This page includes Easy Read and summary versions of the report plus an analysis of the survey data. The summary version also includes an illustrative guide to the review's recommended changes.

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Modernising the Mental Health Act - final report from the independent review

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We use cookies to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve government services. The Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 has set out recommendations for government on how the Act and associated practice needs to change.

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National agreement between services and agencies involved in the care and support of people in crisis. It sets out how organisations will work together better to make sure that people get the help they need when they are having a mental health crisis.

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Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat - Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat

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Welcome to the Crisis Care Concordat website. This site is here to help your organisation and your partners make the principles of the Crisis Care Concordat a reality in your own area. If you have updated your action plan or completed a progress report, please email them to us and we will publish th…

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Healthwatch York Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide 

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Healthwatch York Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide 

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We have updated our York Mental Health & Wellbeing Guide, and an online version is available now through the link below. Printed copies will be available in May. If you have any feedback on the guide please email us: healthwatch@yorkcvs.org.uk

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York Press: Mental health services in York 'in crisis'

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York Press: Mental health services in York 'in crisis'

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She told The Press that she had dealt with three separate cases recently in which desperate patients had contacted the local mental health crisis team pleading for help, and had got no response.

The patients concerned were at 'significant risk' of harming themselves or others, she stressed.

Ms Maskell said she had also dealt with the case of a child who had not got the support they needed.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, the MP described mental health services in York as being 'in crisis'.

She blamed 'severe staff shortages and low morale', adding: "I have been in intense talks with Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, York's mental health providers, over recent months responding to many of the cases that York residents have brought to me.

"I know that staff are working harder than ever, and many new initiatives have been started to provide comprehensive services across the city.

"However, I have to also acknowledge that there have been some acute gaps in the service with diagnostic times delayed and some people who are very ill not getting the support they need when they hit crisis point.

"Patients and families (are being) gaslit and at risk."

Ms Maskell told MPs that a report on the 'wider challenges of NHS mental health services in the region' had been sitting on health secretary Steve Barclay's desk for months, but said no action has been taken.

She asked Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who was standing in for Rishi Sunak at PMQs: "Why is his Government sat on their hands, with a devastating report sat on the Health Secretary's desk, while patients in York and across the NHS are failed? Can I and the Trust have a meeting?"

READ MORE: The 5 signs that someone you love may be struggling with mental health

Ms Maskell said Mr Dowden had promised to set up a meeting for her with the mental health trust and a government minister to discuss the issue.

Fiona McCulloch of York Citizens Advice said Ms Maskell was right that there was a growing problem with mental health services in York.

She said her team regularly had contact with clients who had a 'suicidal ideation'.

She said the cost of living crisis was putting huge strain on people, with applications for debt relief orders (DROs) up 250 per cent year on year.

READ NEXT:

She said: "People who were just about managing simply are not managing any more.

"People are losing their housing, their jobs, their relationships over debt. The mental stress of that is huge."

She said all-too-often people who turned to the mental health services for help were not getting the support they needed - and ended up being dealt with by the police or ambulance service.

"I cannot fault the police or ambulance service - but it should not come to that," she said.

If you are in need of emotional support or struggling to cope, call Samaritans free any time from any phone on 116 123.

What the Trust says

The Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust says it is 'sorry if there are people who are unhappy with the care they received from us' - but insists it is introducing new initiatives in York.

In a statememnt released to The Press Zoe Campbell, managing director of the Trust's North Yorkshire, York and Selby care group, said: "We welcome the opportunity to have these conversations and discuss the wider challenges of NHS mental health services in the region.

"New initiatives are being introduced in York, including the addition of mental health telephone support to the existing all-age mental health support and crisis line, offering emotional support for anyone struggling with their mental health.

"The service has helped reduce demand on our crisis support line, freeing up our colleagues to help people who need very urgent mental health care.

"This addition compliments the mental health first aid services and crisis walk-in centre that are also in place across the York and Selby areas.

"We are sorry if there are people who are unhappy with the care they received from us.

We will continue to work with Rachael (Maskell) to address this and ensure we provide the best care to the people we support."

Why are mental health services in York in crisis?

York MP Rachael Maskell says there are several reasons why mental health provision in York is failing.

It largely down to underfunding and a 'severe' shortage of staff, she says.

She claims about a fifth of 250-or-so jobs at the Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust which runs mental health services in York and across the region are unfilled.

Historically, meanwhile, the NHS funding formula means that York and North Yorkshire simply do not get a fair share of mental health funding, she says.

What she calls 'poor workforce planning' by government has also contributed to the problem, she adds. "This has not been helped by the recent pay dispute, where staff feel undervalued and underpaid, with many leaving the NHS."

But she says there is a structural problem, too.

The Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which took over responsibility for mental health services in York following the sudden closure of Bootham Park Hospital in 2015, covers a huge area from York up to Middlesbrough and Durham, she said.

"It (the Trust) is just too big," Ms Maskell said.

She said she had been in 'intense talks' with the Trust in recent months to discuss cases that York residents had brought to her.

"I know that staff are working harder than ever, and many new initiatives have been started to provide comprehensive services across the city," she said.

"But there are people who are not being served well."

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Mental health services in York 'in crisis' - questions raised in Parliament

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She told The Press that she had dealt with three separate cases recently in which desperate patients had contacted the local mental health crisis team pleading for help, and had got no response. The patients concerned were at 'significant risk' of harming themselves or others, she stressed.

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Quote from York Health and Wellbeing Board July 2023

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Quote from York Health and Wellbeing Board July 2023

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Doctor Emma Broughton (Joint Chair of York Health and Care Collaborative)

“My experience as a clinician of trying to get hold of the crisis team is challenging and we understand, because we’re the same, you’ve got to try and get through on the phone, so the default ends up them going to A&E and for the vast majority they do not need medical intervention, they need mental health interventions and support.”

“All I can suggest as we move forward is the honest conversation about what’s available because in there <the report> you’ve talked about trauma focused work, so we refer in and then; ‘no, we don’t do trauma focused work’, ‘no IAPS’, ‘no mental health’, ‘no, no, neither of those apply to IFR’. We spend so much time wasted between all of us diverting people when there is need, but how do you get patients to that; the right need at the right time. So sorry, it’s a really challenging time. I echo everything that is in there <the report> and I guess it’s senior leadership trying to support and being open about what’s available, I think are some of the challenges we face as a system.”

York Health and Wellbeing Board Meeting 25th July 2023.

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"With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on improving safety in mental health in-patient services across England. Before doing so, I want to thank all the right hon. and hon. Members from across the country who have campaigned tirelessly on behalf of their constituents to improve mental health care. ....."

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With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on improving safety in mental health in-patient services across England. Before doing so, I want to thank all the right hon. and hon. Members from across the country who have campaigned tirelessly on behalf of their constituents to improve mental health care. Too many people have experienced care in mental health in-patient settings that has been well below the high standard that we all deserve when we are at our most vulnerable. I would also like to put on record my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.

First, I will update the House on the independent inquiry into mental health in-patient care across NHS trusts in Essex between 2000 and 2020. I thank my right hon. Friend Vicky Ford for tabling a Westminster Hall debate on the Essex mental health inquiry earlier this year. She and colleagues, including our hon. Friend Sir James Duddridge and our right hon. Friends the Members for Witham ( Priti Patel) and for Maldon (Sir John Whittingdale), all spoke passionately about the need to get justice for patients and their families. I know that my hon. Friend James Cartlidge also tabled an Adjournment debate on mental health in-patient care in Essex before the independent inquiry was launched in 2021.

I also pay tribute to my right hon. Friend Kemi Badenoch and my hon. Friends the Members for Clacton ( Giles Watling), for Brentwood and Ongar ( Alex Burghart), for Castle Point ( Rebecca Harris), and for Southend West ( Anna Firth) for their determined campaigning on behalf of their constituents. Of course, we should all remember the important contribution of the former Member for Southend West, and a great friend to many across this house, the late Sir David Amess. He tabled a Westminster Hall debate on mental health services in Essex back in 2014, and he was a passionate campaigner for improving mental health care. I know he is very much in our thoughts.

In 2021 we launched the independent inquiry to investigate the deaths of mental health in-patients across NHS trusts in Essex between 2000 and 2020. The Government appointed Dr Geraldine Strathdee, a former national clinical director for mental health for NHS England, to chair the inquiry. I want to place on the record my thanks to Dr Strathdee and her team, because a lot of good work has been done. I applaud the bravery of all the victims and their families who have come forward to tell their stories.

I also recognise the work that the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust-EPUT-has done to assist with the inquiry. The trust has been in the spotlight, and progress has already been made to learn lessons and improve in-patient mental health care. EPUT's chief executive, Paul Scott, joined in 2020, and since then the trust has invested £20 million in its mental health in-patient wards and a further £20 million in community services. Compared with 2019, patients absconding from care has decreased by more than 60%, and the use of inappropriate restraint has fallen by 88%.

However, in January Dr Strathdee raised concerns with me about a lack of engagement with the inquiry by current and former EPUT staff. I know that many right hon. and hon. Members share her concerns. Since then, the inquiry and the trust have worked together in a concerted effort to increase staff engagement. None the less, I have listened to Dr Strathdee's concerns that the inquiry still needs further staff engagement to get victims' families the answers they deserve. In a letter to me in March, she said that

"30 percent of named staff, those essential witnesses involved in deaths we are investigating, have agreed to attend evidence sessions. In my assessment, I cannot properly investigate matters with this level of engagement."

She has also raised with me concerns about ongoing safety issues at the trust. To quote from her letter once again, she said:

"I am very concerned that there are serious, ongoing risks to patient safety. Due to the nature of these issues, I am confident that these cannot be properly investigated by the Inquiry without statutory powers."

The Government take both concerns extremely seriously, and I agree with Dr Strathdee that we have now reached the point where the only appropriate course of action is to give the inquiry statutory powers.

Statutory inquiries do take longer, but this does not mean that work will start from scratch. Dr Strathdee's existing findings will inform the next phase of the inquiry. She has informed me that, owing to personal reasons, she will not be continuing as the inquiry's chair, so I want to thank her once again for all her commitment and hard work. I am sure the House will agree that she is a true public servant. Our work to find her successor is proceeding at pace, and I will update the House on the progress of setting up the inquiry in due course.

I recognise that Members' concerns about mental health in-patient facilities are not confined to Essex. The Government are committed to improving mental health care across England, which is why we are boosting mental health funding by at least £2.3 billion this year compared with four years ago, why we are making urgent mental health support available through 111, and why we are delivering three new mental health hospitals to provide specialist care and cut waiting lists.

In January, we commissioned a rapid review of how data is used in in-patient mental health settings in England. More effective use of data has the potential to reduce duplication, ensuring that healthcare professionals can spend more of their valuable time with patients. The review team-well led again by Dr Strathdee-heard from more than 300 people representing every part of the in-patient mental health sector, including former patients and frontline staff. Dr Strathdee has made recommendations for how data and evidence can be used to identify risks to patient safety and failures in care more quickly and effectively. The findings and recommendations of the rapid review will be published today, and I will deposit a copy in the Libraries of both Houses. The Government will consider its findings carefully and respond in due course.

The new Health Services Safety Investigations Body will investigate the following themes: how providers learn from deaths in their care and use that learning to improve services, including post-discharge services; how young people are cared for in mental health in-patient services and how that care can be improved; how out-of-area placements are handled; and how to develop a safe staffing model for all mental health in-patient services. Across all those areas, it will explore the way in which providers use data. I want to reassure the House that the new body will have teeth and will work at speed, that it will have the power to fine those who refuse to give evidence when they are required to do so, and that its predecessor's investigations were typically concluded within a year.

I hope that today's announcements will be of some comfort to the bereaved families who have done so much to raise awareness of the failings of mental health care in Essex and elsewhere. I want them to know that the Government are committed to obtaining for them the answers that they deserve, and to improving mental health across the country. I commend this statement to the House.

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mental health in-patient services: improving safety: 28 jun 2023

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Mental Health In-patient Services: Improving Safety

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in the House of Commons at 1:14 pm 28 June 2023

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The number of people waiting for first contact with community-based teams about their mental health at York hospitals stood at 340 as of August 9, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Some 153 of these are people under 18 and, according to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, 60 per cent of these will be seen within one month and 90 per cent will be seen within two months.

Of the 340 total, the trust says more than 70 per cent will be seen within two months.

Paul Spencer, head of health, policy and campaigns at the mental health charity Mind, said: "Mental health bed occupancy is consistently at 95 per cent right now.

"That's 10 per cent above safe levels.

"What we are seeing is the cumulative result of years of underfunding coming up against an overwhelming need for mental health support, particularly off the back of the pandemic.

"When we feel unwell, we deserve timely support in a safe environment.

"Sadly, all too often we hear that people are not able to get this kind of help.

READ NEXT:

"Recent estimates suggest there are 1.6 million people waiting for mental health treatment and another eight million who could benefit from mental health services but aren't deemed unwell enough to be eligible to access them.

"It is vital that the UK Government act by giving mental health services the proper funding and support they need."

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said: "I see families at my surgeries where many young people are having to wait months and years to access help, while many others are told they don't meet the threshold for a referral to mental health services.

"Sadly these long waits have consequences, with some children and adolescents waiting so long that their symptoms become more serious over time and then eventually, they present to health services in crisis.

"I know staff are working hard to support patients, and that there are new initiatives in the city."

She added: "We need urgent clarity on how the Government plans to tackle this growing mental health emergency with a clear plan and funding in place.

"Everyone should be able to access high-quality health services and sadly, due to huge gaps in the system, we are far from achieving this standard."

Brian Cranna, care group director of operations and transformation at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust said: "We aim to see people as soon as possible and managing the times people wait to access community-based services is a key priority for us.

"People are referred to our community-based teams for a variety of reasons and the time they wait for their first appointment may reflect how urgent their care needs are.

"However, we also have a keeping in touch process which maintains contact with people who are waiting and provides information about support available while they wait.

"This also includes information about crisis lines and what to do if their situation changes, ensuring that they have access to help from referral."

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'Mental health emergency' as hundreds face wait for help in York

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HUNDREDS of people - including dozens of children - are on mental health waiting lists in York, new figures have revealed.

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Presenting your experiences to The Times Health Commission 

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Presenting your experiences to The Times Health Commission 

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Integrated suicide prevention programme sees deaths reduced by more than a fifth

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Integrated suicide prevention programme sees deaths reduced by more than a fifth

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Integrated suicide prevention programme sees deaths reduced by more than a fifth

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Researchers in York and the Netherlands have co-designed an integrated suicide prevention programme which has led to a significant reduction in deaths.

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Mental Health Crisis Care raised at the Health and Wellbeing Board 22 November

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Mental Health Crisis Care raised at the Health and Wellbeing Board 22 November

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Health and Wellbeing Board, 22 November 2023

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Mental Health Crisis Care raised at Full Council Meeting November 23

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Mental Health Crisis Care raised at Full Council Meeting November 23

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Responses from partners to recommendations outlined in our 'Breaking Point' report can be found on page 44.

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Support services in York over the festive period 2024

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Support services in York over the festive period 2024

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Yormind exists to help guide young people to the best and most appropriate support for them, so they honestly know what information and services are out there for them. It is a website designed specifically for young people and it features over 50 different organisations that support young people in York. It is updated every 6 weeks so that young people and those who support them can trust the information which they are trying to access.

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What is Yormind?

Yormind exists to help guide young people to the best and most appropriate support for them, so they honestly know what information and services are out there for them. It is a website designed specifically for young people and it features over 50 different organisations that support young people in York. It is updated every 6 weeks so that young people and those who support them can trust the information which they are trying to access.

Below are just a few of things we have information about on Yormind.

Understanding conditions

Misconceptions and frequently asked questions around mental health

How to support someone else

Coping mechanisms and how to understand them

National services

Crisis lines explained

Hundreds of young people were involved in the creation of Yormind, from the wording of the website to what's on it, but it requires collaboration and support from all the organisations who appear on the website to ensure it's an honest resource.

What is Chat Chit?

Chat Chit is a podcast which interviews a range of people about their experiences of mental health.

Amongst chatting a lot of chit on the podcast, it focuses on how people were supported through their struggles and how they manage their mental health now. From anxiety to climbing, from low mood to distractions, we cover it all.

The podcast is for anyone but if you want to find a specific topic then you can find it through the Chat Chit catalogue.

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Yormind exists to help guide young people to the best and most appropriate support for them, so they honestly know what information and services are out there for them. It is a website designed specifically for young people and it features over 50 different organisations that support young people in York.