Page 19 - Community Living Magazine 36-1

interview

further mental health admissions. He
describes stressed and tired families
dealing with a crisis “on a Friday night”
which can lead to a hospital admission
“and then they get stuck there”.
He tells me about an impressive service
in his home county of Norfolk called
Starfish+ which will work with a young
person to see them through a weekend
crisis, thus preventing an admission.
Active post politics
It is services like this that have led to the
Sir Norman Lamb Health and Wellbeing
Fund, which he set up after he left politics.
Based in Norfolk, this gives small grants to
local voluntary organisations working with
people with mental ill health, learning
disability or autism.
“We don’t insist on them creating some
new project. We support them with the
work they are doing,” he says.
The fund works with a coalition of
charities in Norfolk, which has led to
closer working between organisations.
Sir Norman Lamb: “Lots of things that undermine our ability to get people back in the community” Lamb says the model could easily be
spread across the country.
“Unless you have a minister who is opening Be Well hubs in churches, schools It is three years since he stood down as
clearly interested in the issue and is and football clubs, taking a preventive an MP so I ask about achievements that he
willing to give clear leadership to the approach to what Lamb calls the is proud of. He demanded an investigation
system about the imperative of change, I “psychological fall-out” from the pandemic. into Gosport Hospital, where a 2017 report
don’t think the system will just change of When he first arrived at the Maudsley found excess use of opiates. In more than
its own accord.” in 2020, Lamb asked about preventive 450 cases these had “hastened” death
Cuts to social care funding are another work and “someone very senior said ‘we – or, as Lamb puts it, “they killed people”.
barrier to improving people’s lives. “Social are not commissioned to do that’.” He led on new standards outlawing
care is the preventive end of the spectrum prone restraint in the NHS and reducing
and, if you cut that, then people fall the use of restraint generally. He was
into crisis. Someone very senior said ‘we instrumental in setting up Think Ahead, a
“The problem is in this country is that are not commissioned to do national organisation that fast-tracks
the NHS is like a national religion. Rightly graduates into mental health social work.
so – but the result is that governments of that’. That is such a hopeless Lamb is also proud of establishing
all political persuasions don’t give answer because we’ve got a access standards for early intervention in
sufficient attention to social care. psychosis, within two weeks of an
“And the public doesn’t fully understand whole wealth of expertise episode. There is evidence that early
what social care means. It’s quite an intervention can often stop the psychosis.
old-fashioned term and it just doesn’t get Yet, for all his ministerial achievements,
political attention.” “I thought that is such a hopeless he has sometimes been criticised for
Given his views, it is no surprise that answer because we’ve got a whole wealth focusing on individual cases. Lamb invited
Lamb is in favour of health and social care of understanding and expertise here and all the families involved with Winterbourne
funding being increasingly merged. we should be interested in how we View to meet him, for example.
He admits to many anxieties about how prevent ill health.” He is also proud of his advocacy,
it will work but says that he “cannot resile He wants the same approach to apply furthering people’s causes in relation to
from it” after over a decade arguing for equally to people with a learning disability mental health, learning disability and
such reforms, both before and after he or autism: “Let’s work with those families to autism: “I went out there and made the
was a minister. avoid a deterioration of their circumstance. case for them.”
And now, with the current reforms to the
Seán Kelly/www.seankellyphotos.com championed in the mental health sector. health and care services, he says: “We are commissioning groups if they dragged
Lamb says he felt it quite appropriate to
Lamb is also a strong advocate for
preventive services, an approach he has
challenge local authorities and clinical
NHS, it does give us an opportunity.”
Referring to the new partnerships of
their feet on discharge plans.
He chairs the South London and Maudsley organisations that plan and deliver local
Ultimately, he says, it was this focus on
NHS Foundation Trust, an organisation
part of the integrated care system. We can individual people and their families that
with a budget of more than half a billion
help shape a different approach.”
“made you understand the issues
pounds and 6,000 staff.
He believes that support for teenagers
The specialist mental health trust has
worked with the third sector locally,
institutional barriers to change.” n
Community Living Vol 36 No 1 | Autumn 2022 19
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk and young people is the key to avoiding completely and understand the