Concern over proposed spending cuts to mental health aftercare
Highbury Hospital, which is run by the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Questions have been raised about the impact of proposed spending cuts to care for Nottinghamshire people who have been sectioned.
Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which organises healthcare for the county, is planning on cutting spending on a range of services to divert the money to other areas it says are in higher demand.
The raft of proposals for the city and county include cuts and changes which would total £55m across Nottinghamshire, spread over the current financial year and 2025/26.
Suggestions include finding ways to cut waste, work more efficiently and removing care which is no longer needed.
The ICB is proposing reviewing what aftercare is given to people who have been detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.
Providing this support – known as Section 117 aftercare – is a statutory duty. meaning it must be provided by law.
The ICB says it wouldn’t remove care where needed, but claims £780,000 could be saved over the next two years by ensuring it is provided more appropriately.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee said they wanted more information on how this would happen.
Councillor David Martin (Ind) said: “The change to Section 117 aftercare worries me as it’s mental health, and you know we’ve had issues in Nottingham with that.”
Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham in 2023, was briefly detained under the Mental Health Act at Highbury Hospital and was well-known to mental health services and Nottinghamshire Police.
Councillor John McGrath (Lab) stressed the importance of mental health aftercare, saying: “The relationship between [The ICB] and the police isn’t really there.”
Lucy Dadge, Director of Integration at the ICB, said: “Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust is working hard to support people experiencing mental health problems for the first time in a community setting.
“We recognise they can go into crisis – either from pre-existing condition or out of the blue – and we’re really trying to improve our crisis service.
“Inevitably some people will end up with no choice but to be detained.
“If you are detained, you have a statutory right to aftercare. You can find that if [the care] is not reviewed over a period of time, it’s no longer appropriate.
“Someone who has been discharged may need something very different a few years later.
“This is about case management, it’s not about withdrawing providing care.”
Nottingham City Councillors claimed last week that the proposed spending cuts could cost the authority “millions” in areas which are jointly funded.
The ICB says it is unaware of any knock-on cost to the council.
The exact expected cost to the authority hasn’t been made public.
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