Agenda item

To consider a request from the Mental Health Carers Support Association (MHCSA) to scrutinise proposals by Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust to facilitate mobile working through the development of community hubs within the borough.

RECEIVED the report on the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust (BEH MHT) development of mobile working arrangements (community hubs) presented by Andrew Williams (Primary Care Trust – Borough Director).  It was explicitly reported that services which patients currently received in their homes would not change and the proposals were around providing accessible space, tools and technology for community teams to provide adequate services, conduct administrative tasks and spend less time travelling.

The Committee noted the following comments from Nick Bishop, Manager of the Mental Health Carers Support Association (MHCSA) in response to the proposals.

• The proposals would affect 1200 service users and more than 150 members of staff within mental health teams and would mean the ‘home treatment team’ would be based outside of the borough.
• There was no indication as to how the proposals would manage the high volume of complex transactions in the east of the borough.

In response to questions from the Committee the following was noted:

• ‘Hot desking’ arrangements were already in place in some parts of the Mental Health Trust (MHT) and the system worked well, making better use of space and encouraging better communication between staff.  Individual rooms and private spaces would still be available to staff. 
• A Community Hubs Working Group was due to meet in the next week and included Mental Health Assistant Directors and Service Managers.  Potential community hub buildings would be identified and whether there was adequate space within them and the next stage would be to look at who to consult with and how. There was no time frame for implementation of the proposals.
• MHT estates staff had been in contact with LB Haringey about the possibility of using Council buildings.  A feasibility study of all potential community hub buildings was being conducted.
• Committee Members recognised the high level of change taking place within mental health services and expressed concern about the development of St Ann’s hospital and the perception that services were slowly being removed from the site.  It was reported that out-patients facilities would continue to be provided from St Ann’s and Canning Crescent.
• Members noted that formal consultation with service users should be undertaken. 

RESOLVED

i.          That the Mental Health Trust (MHT) should produce a comprehensive document setting out the proposals and change of locations that they are asking to be made to the community hub.  To allow a full understanding of the implication of these changes care should be taken to put them in the context of the wider changes being made to MHT services.

ii.         That the document requested above should be circulated to the Mental Health Carers Support Association (MSCSA), MIND in Haringey and other client and user groups for a full process of engagement on the changes

iii.        That on the production of a mutually agreed doc the refreshed proposals should be put out to a consultation with service users and carers.

iv.        That the following actions be undertaken:

The Chair would write to the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Trust (MHT), with input from the Mental Health Carers Support Association raising concerns expressed by the Committee about the Community Hubs Project, seeking clarity, in the form of a summary of the proposals and the distribution of services across the Borough and how they fit into the wider MHT planned changes as well as details of a comprehensive consultation programme. The letter should also ask for details of a comprehensive consultation programme. The Chair would send a holding letter to Lynne Featherstone MP in reply to her letter dated 12^th December 2011, raising concerns about the project. (Action No. 82.1)

It was agreed that an informal meeting between the Chief Executive of the Mental Health and Committee members would be organised.  (Action No. 82.2)