Fears grow over cuts
in mental health care
by David Skentelbery
FEARS are growing in Warrington that health chiefs are set to force through major cuts in mental heath services across the borough.
The 5 Borough Partnership NHS Trust ? which provides mental health services in the town and neighbouring boroughs ? insist that no decisions have been taken and that widespread consultation is taking place.
But community leaders say the consultation is inadequate ? and Town Hall chiefs have expressed concern.
Warrington Borough Council has joined forces with neighbouring authorities to form a Statutory Joint Health Scrutiny Committee to consider the Trust?s consultation document ?Change for the Better.? Members of the public are being invited to attend its first three meetings at Runcorn Town Hall on July 20, August 3 and August 10, all starting at 4pm.
A number of consultation meetings have already been held in Warrington by the Trust.
But some people who attended them have condemned them as ?a sham? and claim the consultation is a waste of time.
Bob Stewart, chairman of Warrington’s Islamic Association said: “It is not a proper consultation. They are simply calling meetings to tell people what they are going to do.?
He hit out in particular at prosposals to close the Gatehouse Assessment Centre in Guardian Street, Warrington and replace it with facilities at Hollins Park Hospital, Winwick and claimed the proposals were designed to save money rather than improve services.
Local campaigner John Mulhall has expressed anger over proposals to reduce the number of acute mental health beds from 66 to 33 ? and has also complained at inadequate consultation.
Warrington Borough Council officers have had some consultation with the 5 Boroughs Trust but say they are currently not satisfied. They say they will be pursuing the matter further.
But 5 Boroughs Trust say no decisions have yet been made.
A spokeswoman said: “The Trust is keen to hear views from the full range of stakeholders on all aspects of the proposals before final decisions are made and is keen to stress that no decisions have been taken in advance.
She added: “It is important during the consultation process that the proposals for future development are shared as widely as possible. The Trust is keen to receive feedback on the proposals from service users, carers and the public and is therefore holding a number of public events to ensure as many people as possible have an opportunity to hear what is proposed, ask questions directly to Trust members, and make comments.
” Mental Health Strategies, an independent agency, will collate and analyse all comments and responses received during the consultation and provide a report on completion.
Student Bethan to
represent county
by Mark Hemmings
FOOTBALL fever has hit one student at Warrington?s Priestley College who will be representing her county at the FA Young Leadership in Coaching competition.
Seventeen-year-old Bethan Simpson is currently studying for a BTEC National in Sport alongside an AS in Business. She is a key member of the college’s coaching team and an active member of the college community.
Sports tutor and football coach, Danielle Toward said: “The achievement made by Bethan is sensational. Cheshire is not a small region and we are delighted that one of our students ‘got the nod’ for the competition.
“We believe the courses we offer on practical coaching help those who are interested in the area to become very well skilled and Bethan’s selection is further confirmation of the fact.”
Town is to have its own
smoking watchdog
by Terry Johnson
WARRINGTON is to have its own smoke-free ?watchdog?.
A new post of tobacco control project officer (TCPO) is being funded by the town’s Health Partnership in the run up to tightening smoking laws for businesses and organisations next summer.
The role is to work with Warrington businesses towards smoothing the way for new laws and also to assist the ?stop smoking services?.
The TCPO will look at ways of restricting young peoples’ access to tobacco and also run test-purchase traps for shops which flout the law.
Counterfeit and illegally bootlegged tobacco sales will also be targeted.
Coun Roy Smith, said: “This initiative between the council and Primary Care Trust will help maximise the benefits of changes in the law – and ultimately help more people to quit smoking.
“Under-age smokers are a real concern to us. There is a strong chance they will continue smoking well into adult life.
“It is critical that we limit access to tobacco for these young people. This initiative will give extra focus to this fight”.
Trading Standards chief, Peter Astley, said that funding over the next three years would also underpin investigations into the illegal sale of more dangerous counterfeit cigarettes.
“It is vital that we disrupt these sales, which contain higher levels of toxins”, he added.
In 2003-04 some 54 per cent of seized cigarettes in the UK were counterfeit – a 260 per cent rise in just two years.
Resident calls for
parking “exclusion zone”
by John Hendon
AN exclusion zone should be set up around a village school at Grappenhall, near Warrington to prevent parents doing the ?school run? from flouting the law.
The suggestion has come from resident Gary Bebbington, in a letter to Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council.
Mr Bebbington said he had occasion to drive passed St Wilfrid?s Primary School at 8.30 am and noted more than 15 cars parked outside the school.
?They were parked all around the bend of Church Lane up to Broad Lane and when I reached Broad Lane that, too, was congested with vehicles obviously belonging to parents,? he said.
The whole area is subject to a ?no waiting? restriction which the irresponsible motorists were ignoring, he added.
Mr Bebbington said parents were obstructing the footpath and damaging the cobbled section of Church Lane which had only recently been restored at great expense.
?If the situation continues there will be no cobbles or heritage left to our beautiful village,? he said.
An exclusion zone, allowing only essential service vehicles and residents into Church Lane, would deter the ?school run? motorists, he suggested.
He also suggested using Grappenhall Community Centre car park at school times, with parents walking their children along Bellhouse Lane or through Morris Park to reach the school.
Council clerk Damien Boddy said some parents already walked their children from the community centre, but it was felt most would not do so, particularly in bad weather.
It would be difficult to close Church Lane because of church traffic, including funerals, residents and deliveries to pubs and schools. There would also be the problem of displacing traffic to surrounding residential roads.
A chance to
quiz the police
by staff reporter
POLICE are to hold a community action meeting (CAM) at Appleton Parish Hall on August 17.
The meeting will deal with policing issues affecting the Appleton, Stretton and Hatton areas and members of the public will be able to question senior officers on matters of concern.
At 8.45pm a second meeting will be held when police will give local people an update on arrangements being made to control traffic, crowds, etc arising from the Creamfields pop festival at Daresbury.
They will deal with measures planned for the build-up to the festival, the event itself and the aftermath.
Abusive shoppers to
be shown red card
by Terry Johnson
SHOPPERS who treat store staff as ?verbal punchbags? have been red-carded by Warrington North MP Helen Jones.
The MP (pictured)is supporting the campaign, ?USDAW United Against Abuse?, after a survey found that 95 per cent of retail staff have been verbally abused by
customers.
“I was shocked to learn that at least a million shopworkers are verbally abused every working day”, declared Ms Jones.
“Many shoppers seem to think it is all right to shout, scream and hurl abuse into the faces of retail staff. They have feelings and the right to work in a non-threatening environment”.
USDAW General Secretary, John Hannett, said verbal abuse of shop staff shot up an alarming 35 per cent last year.
“Football refs can use a red card against players who verbally abuse them. Our members will be using an USDAW red card to spread the message that abusing staff is unacceptable”.
Psychological damage caused by vicious abuse results in many shopworkers quitting their jobs.
Serious incidents include graphic swearing, sexist comments, homophobic abuse and racist taunts.
