MEDICAL staff have voted to strike over plans which they say will `devastate' Manchester's mental health care and put patients and the public in danger.

Community nurses, occupational therapists and administration staff voted overwhelmingly for a walkout over proposals to cut 33 community nurses and eight occupational therapists from the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care trust , while increasing the number of managers and social workers.

Two thirds of the trust's staff are members of the Unison trade union and 90 per cent of them voted to stage a 24-hour strike on January 31, and again for seven days at the start of February.

They say they will help in an emergency.

Unison representative Karen Reissmann said: "We will be going to make a final plea with them to stop these cuts. They will know how determined we are to stop the devastation of community mental health services.

"We are hoping they will see sense. Hospital services for mental health patients are under so much pressure we have to send very sick people home, community staff monitor them, meaning we can intervene early if there are trouble signs.

'Worth it'

"We are afraid that these cuts will mean a patient does something devastating to themselves or someone else, that we could have prevented.

"To genuinely improve our service would not take much of the government's billions. We estimate é3-é4m more than they are prepared to spend. We think those with severe and enduring mental health problems are worth this."

Health bosses say the plans for a radical overhaul are the result of a public consultation called Change in Mind, carried out earlier this year.

The trust axed 37 clinical posts last March, but says the reforms will allow them to increase the overall number of staff, improve crisis care and meets national guidelines.

A spokesman for the trust said: "It is regrettable that Unison have expressed this opinion, given the trust is still in the process of analysing all staff comments resulting from a formal consultation.

"There is a net increase of about 40 jobs - and an overall extra é4m a year to go into mental health services in Manchester."

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