Dear supporter of mental health services,

We are writing to let you know of proposals to cut mental health services in Manchester and to ask for your support in opposing them.

What changes are planned?

• Community mental health teams will have less staff working in them. For example there are 16 nurses in some teams now. It is planned to have just 4 in the new teams. There will be less occupational therapists. This means 75% of users will lose their care manager. In mental health continuity is crucial. Each worker will have a lot more clients each and so have less time. More people will become ill.
• When you become ill, at the moment you get extra help from your existing team. In the new system, care will be transferred to another team who won’t know you and you won’t know them.
• As well as reducing the numbers, which may lead to redundancies, (there are 33 less nursing posts) it is planned to downgrade the staff.
• One of the elderly day care assessment centres is to close.
• Four specialist community teams will be put out to open tender and could be non NHS and non local authority. They could even be run by BUPA.
• At the same time the plans include an expansion of 24 extra managers!

We intend to vigorously oppose this. To avoid these cuts and provide genuine expansion would only cost a few million pounds. This is a few hours of the costs of the War in Iraq. We need a change in priority back to welfare. UNISON members at the trust have agreed to ballot for strike action, if necessary.

What can you do?

• Write to Tracey Ellery, the chief executive of the trust, to complain, at Chorlton House, 70 Manchester Rd, M21 2UN. We have drafted a standard letter to help with this.
• Join the protests the staff have called. Next one -Cavalcade of cars meet at 12noon, Tuesday 5th December, Showcase car park, Hyde Rd, Gorton.
• Pass the model motion in support of us.
• Send us a message of support.
• Pledge a donation to “Manchester Community UNISON strike fund”, c/o union office, Chorlton house, 70 Manchester Rd, Chorlton M21 2UN.

You can contact us on our new website www.stopthecuts.co.nr or ring us on 07977 986 179 or email on karen@reissmann.fsnet.co.uk