Questions for trust

Published: 2 December, 2010

• A FURTHER escalation in the battle between the Camden LINk and the Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust came last week when three governors of the trust presented a deputation about the way it is run to Camden Council’s health scrutiny committee.  

The contempt of the trust for both its governors and the LINk was demonstrated by its chair, Richard Arthur, who left the meeting before the deputation was taken.  

Clearly things are not going well.

Earlier in the meeting the trust had fielded a team of its chair, director of mental health services for Camden and three consultant psychiatrists to defend its proposed cuts of more than 100 in-patient beds.  

Complaint was made that the trust has still not made any decision about St Luke’s Hospital which has stood empty for two years and is falling apart while it asks for more time.  

The whole debate went on without reference to Tom Costello, still  detained in Northampton, as if individual patients have no role in this and can be made to disappear into the mass.

Things are clearly not happy at the foundation trust at the moment.  Rumour has it that in the new economy it will have to amalgamate to survive. This would seem to defeat the business model propounded by Richard Arthur…

DAVID BROWN
Haverstock Hill, NW3