Category Archives: Carers

Shock over mental health trust’s £5m redundancy bill

March 18, 2014   Carers, mental health, Norfolk

Hellesdon Hospital.

Hellesdon Hospital.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014
6:30 AM

The mental health trust for Norfolk and Suffolk, which is trying to fill hundreds of vacancies, spent more than £5m on redundancy payments last year, it has emerged.

Union officials spoke of their shock after bosses at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) admitted they had gone over their forecasted budget on redundancy costs as part of the organisation’s radical redesign of services.

The NHS trust had budgeted £4.8m for anticipated redundancies as part of its strategy to overhaul services to reduce costs by 20pc by 2016.

However, figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request have revealed that the NHS trust spent a total of £5.5m on 145 redundancies between April and December.

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Memory Café for dementia sufferers and carers in Queensferry

March 17, 2014   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia, mental health, Scotland

The Memory Café

 

Queensferry Care has officially opened a new service “The Memory Café”, at The Haven 25b Burgess Road, its base in South Queensferry. Developed through a partnership with NHS Lothian, Alzheimer’s Scotland and Queensferry Care, the Café will open from 13:00hr to 15:00hr on the third Thursday of each month and will provide support, information and advice to people who have a diagnosis of dementia and to carers.

Sharon Hampson-Bahia, manager at Queensferry Care said: “We were delighted with the response at the opening of the café and it was clear that people attending valued the opportunity to meet and chat with the professional team in a relaxed setting while enjoying a coffee and some delicious cakes.

“Queensferry Care have been providing a range of services to older people and carers for over twenty years across rural west Edinburgh and it is has been exciting for us to be able to extend our work in partnership with Alzheimer’s Scotland and NHS Lothian in such an innovative way.”

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Norman Lamb MP opens new cafe in Cromer run by adults with learning disabilities

March 17, 2014   Carers, learning difficulties, Norfolk

Norman Lamb MP helps launch the About With Friends cafe in Cromer

Norman Lamb MP helps launch the About With Friends cafe in Cromer. PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY . PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY

Sunday, March 16, 2014
4:21 PM

A cafe run by adults with learning disabilities has been opened in the heart of the high street – providing its staff with the opportunity to gain experience at work.

The About With Friends Cafe in Cromer is run by the charity’s members with help from support staff and will serve a full menu.

The cafe, at the former Blue Danube in Tucker Street, was opened yesterday by MP for north Norfolk Norman Lamb.

Helen Dalton-Hare, chief executive of About With Friends, said it provided a brilliant opportunity.

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