Where is watchdog?

Published: 4 March, 2011

• LAST week’s article about the conditions in Coral ward at Highgate Mental Health Centre reflects badly on Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the unit and on Islington Borough User Group (iBUG), the patients’ group provided with offices in that building and charged with looking after the welfare of those held there. It seems the “chemical cosh” is alive and well in Dartmouth Park.

Not for the first time iBUG seems to be failing in its responsibilities. It gives volunteers £10 for each task they undertake while its officers are paid £10,000 a year in their iBUG role and pick up more fees for their work for the foundation trust and NHS Islington.  They claim to support patients but once again they seem to be failing.

iBUG has not raised its voice against the trust’s proposals to close two of its hospitals, with the loss of nearly 100 in-patient beds, and it seems unconcerned about the future of St Luke’s Hospital.  

The problem is that iBUG is funded by Islington Council, NHS Islington and the foundation trust. The substantial sums being paid to officers come from this. What this demonstrates very clearly is that for a patients’ organisation to be in a position to really represent patients then it must have independent funding. Anything else means that it will always have to consider the possible consequences to its funding of any opposition to the plans of its funders.  

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