Mental health support centre could close 'in weeks'

The centre offers a safe space for people with a range of mental health conditions to socialise and take part in art, music and cooking

A support centre for people with mental health conditions in Norfolk could be forced to close in a matter of weeks.

Swaffham and District Mental Health Association (SDMHA) runs The Merle Boddy Centre, which provides day care for people with conditions including dementia and Parkinson's disease.

It said over the last year Norfolk County Council had changed the way it managed referrals to support services, leading to a drop in funding for the charity.

The council said it was working with the centre to try and attract more people to use the service.

Keith Sandle said the people his charity supports could end up in residential care sooner without the day care service

SDMHA said the impact of the change to referrals had been catastrophic, with only one client referred to the group from the council since December.

Keith Sandle, from SDMHA, said staff would expect to be getting one referral a week and if the situation did not change, they would not be able to continue running the service for more than a few weeks.

"People can come in spend a day with us, we have activities going on all day and a cooked lunch," he said.

"It really gives the carers that bit of respite as well as our clients getting to socialise."

Mr Sandle said he could not understand why the council was not telling more people about the day care services on offer.

"We are a vital step before people have to go into care homes or hospital," he said.

"Our help lets people stay with their families and stay in their homes rather than going somewhere else to be looked after."

The council said it continued to review how best to work with care organisations.

"[The authority] can only fund providers for the number of social care placements people need but council officers have very recently met with the centre and will continue to work with them to explore ways to attract more self-funded clients, and support long-term sustainability, and help deliver high-quality services that meet the needs of Norfolk residents," said a spokesperson.