Norfolk and Waveney Mind blames NHS for job and service cuts

Norfolk and Waveney Mind, which provides several funded support services, has "restructured" its organisation over the summer.

The exercise has seen 25 of its 450 workers take redundancy, 21 voluntarily, and a significant reduction in services.

The charity has reduced the operating hours of its telephone support line by four hours a day, and eliminated evening drop-in sessions at its crisis hubs in Aylsham and Thetford.

Chief executive Pete Boczko has resigned from his post, with the charity hoping to appoint a permanent replacement next year. It is understood his departure is not connected to the restructure.

There are now fears that the cuts will worsen the region's mounting mental health crisis and place even more pressure on services.

Senior figures at the Norwich-based charity say the cuts are "regrettable", but insist that NHS bosses are to blame for the situation. 

Sonja Chilvers, interim CEO of Norfolk and Waveney Mind (Image: Newsquest)

Sonja Chilvers, interim chief executive of the charity, said: "Following an unexpected low, below-inflation annual 'uplift' payment from the integrated care board (ICB) earlier this year, we have been forced to restructure our charity to ensure we continue to meet our service users' needs as efficiently and effectively as possible.

"We regret that it was necessary to make some roles redundant during this process.

"By working closely with our teams, we were able to ensure that only four people have been issued with compulsory redundancy, while 21 people took voluntary redundancy."

A further 18 people were redeployed as part of the restructure.

Support line cuts

Churchman House, where the Norwich REST hub is based (Image: Archant Norfolk.)

The department running the charity's telephone support line has been particularly affected. 

Offering confidential advice and crisis support, the service previously operated from 10am until midnight but it will now not open until 2pm.

A former employee, who did not wish to be named, said the change had been poorly communicated with colleagues and "left to the last minute".

They added: "There has been no thought put into the change and it hasn't considered the needs of all service users.

"A lot of calls would come from people who only feel able to ring when their children are at school and these people will now fall by the wayside.

"The situation has also caused a great deal of stress for staff, who are themselves trying to support people with their own anxieties."

What else is set to change?

Norfolk and Waveney Mind's REST hub in Aylsham (Image: Norfolk and Waveney Mind)

Mind has also had to make cuts at its REST hubs. 

Based in Aylsham, Norwich, Thetford, King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, these hubs provide a range of wellbeing services including walk-in counselling and listening.

They also offer evening sanctuaries, sessions where people in urgent need can receive one-to-one crisis support.

But under the changes, this provision has been removed from hubs in Aylsham and Thetford.

Ms Chilvers added: "This service has now been centralised, with all face-to-face provision being provided through REST Norwich. People can also access this via telephone or video call.

"With the restructure now complete, we will continue to focus on ensuring we can meet the needs of people accessing our services, in line with our ambition that nobody in Norfolk and Waveney should face poor mental health alone."

What does the ICB say?

Bosses at NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB say they continue to work closely with the charity and other voluntary sector partners to mitigate the impact of the funding decision.

The organisation, which commissions the region's health services, informed voluntary sector partners of annual contract values in April, with an increase of 0.6pc for 2024/25. 

This figure was set nationally by the NHS and was significantly below the UK inflation rate, which at the time was 2.3pc.

An NHS Norfolk and Waveney spokesman said: "We know this puts our partners in a difficult position, particularly with the increase in the living wage.

"We want to be very clear that this decision is not reflective of the value we place on our voluntary contracts on partners.

"On the contrary, we want to invest in and support the sector as we look to provide more care in the community.

"The NHS in Norfolk and Waveney, like the whole NHS, continues to face significant financial challenge and was directed nationally not to award inflation beyond the level of funding."