What this is!

It has been pointed out that there is nothing here to explain to newcomers what this is about, so here goes.

A proposal was put to Leeds City Council in December to close the Crisis Centre, along with 2 of the 3 day centres. There will be no alternative provision for the crisis centre, and some community service would be available for some of the service users from the day centres. This proposal was delayed pending further consultation, and is due to be discussed by the Executive Board on the 11th Feb. This 'further consultation' has not been had, and no alternatives have been offered.

The report, (http://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=51118 ) claims that the Crisis Centre is a duplicated service, and that the NHS, through IAPTs, would fulfil this role. IAPT staff have commented on the Crisis Centre's blog that this is not the case, in fact IAPT refer people to the Crisis Centre!

The report also states several inaccuracies about the day centres. The activities that are provided through the day centres are not there simply to occupy time, these are thought out, therapeutic activities to enable service users to recover.

Many service users are not well enough to be able to access community support, this would isolate these people, making recovery impossible. There is also a great many people who rely on the day centre as the only peer support that they can receive, due to the stigma and prejudice that surrounds mental health.

Without the day centres and the crisis centre, much more pressure will be placed on families, many more people will be unable to return to work, and the suicide rate is bound to increase. This is not acceptable.

While many will bring up the cost of these services, the report includes figures that suggest that closing the three centres would save the council just over £1m. This is a small percentage of the council's budget, and savings can be made in places that would not endanger people’s lives.

There are many more reasons for all 3 centres to stay open, I am sure that these will be posted in the near future! Thank you for taking the time to read this, your support is appreciated by many people!