Mental health provision has long been an issue very close to my heart. I have seen first-hand how mental health issues affect friends and family members and can destroy lives.  

That’s why, as part of my ongoing work alongside fellow parliamentary colleagues in the East, I welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the Minister for Mental Health’s latest briefing for Norfolk and Suffolk MPs yesterday – to find out the latest information on the work that has been going on in recent months to improve patient care and safety, as well as deliver better services, at Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust.  

The CQC, NHS England and the NSFT themselves set out that a significant programme of improvements is currently underway, including a major refresh of the organisation’s senior leadership team – which we, as MPs, were assured is already changing the “culture” of NSFT and already having a positive impact on the frontline. The openness and willingness of the organisation to embrace meaningful reform has been praised, with campaign group members now sitting on the committee driving forward NSFT improvements too. 

We were also informed of work being pursued that will better integrate our mental health provision with our other local NHS and care providers – an effort being overseen by the Norfolk and Waveney ICB here in our area and which will hopefully see far more people treated locally in their communities, with more preventative treatment being offered and greater support and care in place. (To see more on my views regarding NHS and Social Care Integration, please click here.) 

While this is all positive news, our collective of MPs made clear that, having heard similar assurances in the past, we still need a lot of convincing that these efforts will be enough. When the CQC deliver their next report in the coming months, we want to see clear, measurable improvement points that show substantial progress has been made.  

Reform is never easy. But it’s key that this issue is properly gripped now and got right. I am very concerned that, after years of problems at the NSFT and a new management team, the organisation is still struggling to improve sufficiently. 

The Minister reassured all MPs present that she, and the wider Department, understands the seriousness of the situation – and follow up meetings are being scheduled with ourselves so that we can continue to hold the key figures to account and speak up for patients in our constituencies, as well as their families and friends. 

This is very much an ongoing focus of mine and I will continue to speak up for Mid Norfolk in the weeks and months ahead. 

To stay up to date with my work on Mental Health in our area, please click here.