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15
Mar
Harrogate MP: Troubled mental health trust facing inquiry ‘cannot be fixed’
A NHS trust responsible for mental health services in the Harrogate district which is facing a public inquiry ‘cannot be fixed’, Harrogate’s MP has said.
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said he “struggled to see” how Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust could continue in its current form.
In December, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, announced an inquiry into the mental health trust in Darlington, after he met families who have lost loved ones under the care of the trust.
The announcement came after a vigorous campaign for an inquiry by bereaved families across the North East and North Yorkshire, following an unusually high number of patient deaths by suicide at the trust over the past 10 years, affecting both adults and children.
Speaking at an event in Harrogate this week, Mr Gordon said much of the problems at the trust came down to geography.
The trust currently delivers mental health services in Teeside, North East and North Yorkshire.
However, Mr Gordon said that he struggled to see how it could continue in its current form. He said:
If we were to end up with a recommendation and a report at the end of it which says ‘we need to fix TEWV’, I do not think TEWV can be fixed in its current form. I don’t think any family that has been affected thinks it can be fixed.
I think it’s a ‘what does that look like on a structural and organisational level’ and whether it be broken up into something more Yorkshire based and more North East. In its current form, I struggle to see how it survives.
Meanwhile, Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries at Slater and Gordon, also spoke at the event.
Mr Scorer, who has previously worked at the Manchester Arena bombing inquiry and is set to represent families from Harrogate and Knaresborough, said a chair and terms of reference for the TEWV inquiry had yet to be set.
Richard Scorer, of Slater and Gordon Lawyers.
However, he said once a chair had been appointed he expected the process to “move forward at reasonable speed”.
Mr Scorer added that anyone who had lost a loved one or had experienced poor care in the trust can come forward through Slater and Gordon or Mr Gordon’s office and potentially give evidence to the inquiry.
The inquiry will focus on uncovering failures in care at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust that have led to patients losing their lives. It will aim to identify issues specific to the trust and make recommendations to reduce the risk of similar tragic events occurring in the future.
In a statement issued in December, Alison Smith, TEWV chief executive, said the trust would support the inquiry. She said:
First and foremost, I extend my deepest sympathy to everyone affected by these tragic losses.
With the public inquiry now confirmed, we will fully support the process with transparency, openness and humility. Above all, we are committed to listening, reflecting, and taking meaningful action to ensure that we continually improve as an organisation.
Have you experienced poor care at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust? Get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
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