Another press release by a misled councillor

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive board member with responsibility for adult social care, said:“These changes are about finding more meaningful alternatives for people, based on how citizens and staff have said they would like support to be delivered in the future." We would welcome news on how many staff have said that the day centres should close! None have said this publicly, and none are known to have said this!

“Our day centres have provided a good service for years, but many people are telling us they would like to be supported in other ways.  Increasingly, people want services which are more tailored to their needs.  After all, what works for one person might not necessarily work for someone else.  The future of mental health day support is about individuals, not institutions." How do day centres compare to institutions? The choice of language is interesting, would Councillor Yeadon care to tell us how what happened in the institutions is similar to the activities of the day centres please!

The current service also tailors to individual needs, this is central to the ethos of the day centres, and has been for many years!

“Making these changes will ensure services are available to help people to recover, or to better manage their condition, and enable them to take part in activities which are available to everyone – like education, training and employment." So the new service will enable people to do exactly what they can in the day centres! Seems like a lot of work to do the same thing! This shows that Councillor Yeadon, the Executive Board member for Adult Social Care, does not know what happens in an adult social care centre!

“Good mental health day support should be a bridge back into the community.”

Leeds’ adult social care department will be asking the council’s executive board to agree these plans in February 2011.  If the changes are approved, the council will work with the NHS to commission a wide range of modernised mental health services, focused on recovery and supporting people to access mainstream opportunities." So it will focus on the same things that the current service has for years!

 

(Of course, the comments in red are not quotes from Lucinda Yeadon!!)