Cambridgeshire NHS trust services dangerous, internal email says

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust has its headquarters in Fulbourn

A mental health trust's services "feel dangerous" amid a recruitment crisis, according to an internal staff email seen by the BBC.

The email said every day Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) staff were "jeopardizing their clinical and professional standards".

CPFT is facing a deficit of nearly £9m and its chief executive Anna Hills stood down last month.

A spokesman said it had "taken actions to address the concerns raised".

The email related to adult locality teams based in Cambridge, which provide health and social care interventions for those with complex mental health needs.

It said the services were "essentially blighted by too much work with too little resource to deal with it and clinical safety is without doubt compromised".

It added that: "Every day staff are jeopardizing their clinical and professional standards. The services feel dangerous."

Anna Hills said she was stepping down to "pursue other opportunities"

A trust spokesman said: "There always has been - and will continue to be - much debate among frontline staff who work tirelessly to ensure patients get the help and support they need.

"Their dedication in the face of rising demand is undiminished. We welcome their comments and have taken actions to address the concerns raised including a push to fill all vacant roles recognising the wider challenges of recruiting to mental health services.

"Patients and their relatives and carers should be assured that services are constantly monitored and, if needed, action is taken swiftly to maintain safety."

Ms Hills stood down to "pursue other opportunities", while former finance director Scott Haldane returned in an interim role.

The deaths of dozens of people who took their own lives while under CPFT's care are being reviewed externally after the trust was accused of a "culture of cover up".