HUNDREDS of mental health nurses in Manchester have gone out on strike in a protest over changes to the way patients are treated.
More than 250
Unison
union members at the Manchester Mental Health & Social Care trust have walked out over restructuring proposals which the union claims will see cuts in the number of nurses and occupational therapists.
Union spokesman Bob Brown said the changes would result in the loss of 33 nurses and eight occupational health therapists.
"Well attended" picket lines have been set up outside the trust's Chorlton House base and Manchester Royal Infirmary, Mr Brown said.
According to the union, the changes threaten to downgrade staff and could result in the closure of care homes for elderly people. But the trust insisted the changes would result in an extra é4m being spent in the city.
Stephanie Thomas, Unison head of health in the North West, said: "If these proposals are fully implemented as they currently stand, then we are seeing yet further evidence of how NHS staff are facing a whirlwind of change and initiative overload.
Vulnerable
"Market testing elderly care homes and community mental health services is abandoning some of our most vulnerable citizens to the private sector that need to make profits from the NHS."
A statement from the Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust said: "The changes are the result of a public consultation and will see a new mental health assessment unit set up at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, and new more specialised community mental health teams.
"Four million pounds of additional money will be invested each year in Manchester, and there will be an increase of around 40 jobs.
"There are no job cuts planned by the trust in relation to the introduction of Change in Mind. The trust wants to avoid industrial action as it has concerns that the action will have an adverse affect on patients and their carers."
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i hope they stay out an never return this might give the patients a chance to come to there senses,
nice one ged. what a stupid and wholly pointless comment.
For the first time in 20yrs the Nurses have gone on strike. The service users and carers were not made aware ofthe changes during the consultation process SO WHO WAS CONSULTED? The Trust is forcing a model of care through which is underfunded and resourced.On London for a similar level of need and accuity they have twice as many teams and twice as many beds. Speak to the service users and carers who will be affected, they will tell you a different and more accurate reflection of how the MINDLESS CHANGES will adversely affect thie care.
Yes! Im a service user! I should know. May be the the Managers are Psychotic!
manchester mental health services are on thier knees because they pay nurses about 6,ooo pounds more than other mental health services in the country and the management are too weak to deal with it.
The extra money is going to be be spent buying services from the private sector at the expense of existing services provided for those with severe and enduring mental illness and increasing the number of managers. How will this improve care. The staff taking action can ill afford to loose pay but are prepared to do so in thier fight to save an already over stretched service. Please give your support.
I relie on my community nurse to give me support and monitor my health. I have grown to trust my nurse, but this has taken a long time. I do not want to loose this contact. Without it I would have had to have many more in-patient admisssions, which I am sure costs more money. Fight to save a service I relay on.
To 'havingabrain', the reason mental health nurses get more money is they do a specialist job. If you had to (like a friend of mine) deal with people who are potentially extremely violent, or who could commit suicide if not dealt with carefully, surely you'd laugh at people suggesting you should take the same as people who aren't putting themselves in that sort of danger all the time. Incidentally, you know what they're replacing the nurses with? 24 new managers. Helpful that.