Fair Treatment Now - Cambridge Mental Health Summit
Secretary of State for Health and South Cambridgeshire MP, Rt Hon Andrew Lansley and senior NHS representatives met with residents to discuss the future of mental health services at the Rethink Cambridgeshire Mental Health summit, on Friday 18th March.
Over 80 people attended the event, coming to listen to a wide range of speakers and ask Mr Lansley directly about the proposed changes to the NHS. The discussion saw Mr Lansley outline the Government’s new policy direction for mental health and, as local MP, offer his thoughts on how this affects local services.
“This is an excellent opportunity for mental health service users and carers in Cambridgeshire to discuss the Government’s plans to improve the nation’s mental health and well-being following on from our Mental Health Outcomes Strategy – ‘No Health Without Mental Health’. As Cambridgeshire’s local MP, I will be explaining how this will improve local provision. I look forward to talking with service users and carers and hearing their views on these issues.”
Rt Hon Andrew Lansley MP
Among the speakers were representatives from NHS East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council, CATCH (Cambridgeshire Association to Commission Health) and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust. Ian and Carl, residents at Kneesworth Hospital, also gave a fascinating, and often unheard, insight into life in a secure hospital.
Following the event Beatrice Bray, a mental health service user from Cambridgeshire said: “Today’s event was a great chance to come together with lots of other people using services across the region to hear from Andrew Lansley. It’s good to hear the arguments from the man himself, whatever you think of them. I think there is a tension between the apparent commitment to ‘no decision about me, without me’ and the reality of the structure he describes. On a personal level, I think his approach to mental health is fairly sensible”.
The event was covered on Radio Cambridgeshire and in local press. Mr Lansley also wrote about the event in his blog which can be viewed here.
To find out more about the summit, please download our report which outlines the key points covered on the day. Cambridge Mental Health Summit Report (181 kb) ![[doc]](http://www.rethink.org/display_images/document_icons/doc.gif)
