Mental care to take big strides

MENTAL health care services across Oldham have been given a boost as Pennine Care Trust became the 100th NHS trust to be awarded foundation status.

Mental health providers have to meet exacting standards in order to achieve the status and the trust, which runs mental health services across Oldham, was praised for demonstrating excellent performance and having a clear plan for the future.

The award means the trust will be free from central government control and be able to run services in the way it chooses.

The trust says it is good news, and said staff were looking forward to implementing a number of exciting plans to transform local mental health care.

They include a new young person’s mental health inpatient service, the Hope Unit, which is set to open later this year.

It will meet a long-standing need for appropriate inpatient facilities for younger people, and reduce the number of 16-17 year-olds who are admitted to adult wards.

Foundation status also allows trusts to retain any surplus money to invest in services, and to borrow money for new investments.

John Archer, chief executive of the newly named Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is outstanding news, not only for the trust, but for the population we serve.

“Mental health services deserve greater recognition, and we all need to focus on improving the quality of life, ambition and hope of people who have mental health problems — not on illness and deficiency.”

The new status will give local people the opportunity to have more say in decisions, and patients, carers and residents will get the chance to become members of the trust.

William Moyes, chief executive of monitor, the independent regulator of NHS trusts, said it was an important milestone for the trust, and will mean better services for patients.