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Help Support The Haven Project...... We have not given up hope!!
Please show your support by sharing a selfie picture drinking a cup of Tea for...Tetley Tuesday!! Please share with family and friends!
The Haven Project will be discussed at Westminster on Tuesday 17th March.
WHERE THERE'S TEA, THERE'S HOPE!!
Follow the link!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/514028248735270/
Hello everyone, thank you very much for taking the time to read about The Haven Project, which is in great need of support from everyone far and wide.
We badly need financial support as we have lost vital funding for The Haven Project to continue. The Haven Project is a nationally and internationally recognised centre of excellence for the treatment and management of personality disorder. They have academic research to prove that what the haven does for personality disorder works.
Can you imagine if you or someone you care about had to live with a Personality Disorder and what a struggle daily life can be? Here are a few of our personal struggles that we battle on a daily basis.
Being emotionally unstable, our moods can change rapidly and we experience uncontrolled intense anger, extreme feelings of sadness and irritability. It can also make us feel insecure, lonely, give us a lack of self worth and a poor self image, as well as no self esteem or confidence. All of which leaves us feeling like we don't belong anywhere. We reject people before they can reject us, due to an enormous fear of abandonment, so when in relationships it can cause them to become tense and very unstable. We tend to cling onto damaging relationships. which can result in lots of conflict. Not knowing our own identity, feeling non existent and empty. All symptoms are heightened under stress this can also cause paranoia, we often believe in things that are not real or true (called delusions) or see or hear things that are not really there (called hallucinations), along with numbness and episodes of dissociation (zoning out). Constantly feeling misunderstood and feeling like a child forced to live in an adult world, making us fragile and vulnerable in the world we live in. We carry out impulsive risky actions without thinking about the consequences of our behaviours, such as spending sprees, driving recklessly, binge eating, breaking the law, self harming, having promiscuous sex, along with abusing drugs or alcohol and attempting suicide.
I have a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, I have always been ashamed of this; until more recently, as I could not accept this as a diagnosis and did not believe I was so unwell. I tried to carry on with life and be as independent as possible. There was only so long I could carry on being in denial and running away from my long standing mental health problems. I could not understand how my past could possibly have any effect on me and my behaviours. I did not want people to think I was crazy and that I could not cope, and so I could not tell anybody as I hated the thought of having support. After having a complete break down and realizing I could not cope with life unless I was using substances, self harming and putting myself at risk along with multiple suicide attempts. Something needed to change, but this was a scary thought as I did not know another way of coping. Having a Personality disorder has such a negative stigma attached to it. I was and am involved with mental health services and after having an admission into a local psychiatric hospital I was then referred to The Haven Project.
The Haven Project is dedicated to the support and treatment of people with a personality disorder diagnosis who live in North East Essex. The Haven offers crisis services to their registered clients, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their purpose is to provide a swift response and early intervention when clients are in crisis.Telephone contact is available 24 hours a day and travel arrangements exist to ensure fast access to The Haven, at any time of the day or night, on any day of the week, for those in crisis.
The Safe Centre is a sanctuary which can be used for several hours, any time, for registered Haven clients in crisis. Additionally, The Haven has 5 bedrooms for respite admission and a stay may last anywhere from one night up to a fortnight. .
The Haven also provide a day service which offers a wide range of practical and emotional support in groups and individually. They provide therapeutic and fun activities, Monday to Friday. Groups are designed to foster a sense of belonging, ownership and mutual support within our community, enabling us to learn new skills and develop our existing inner resources. Individual support can include assistance with welfare benefits, housing issues, life skills and problem solving.
The staff within The Haven create a sense of safety along with providing unconditional positive support. They are dedicated, compassionate, understanding, non judgemental and have great empathy. We always feel listened to, believed and acknowledged, and for many of us it is the first real experience of being accepted.
The Haven does not work in isolation.They aim to nurture links with other agencies and encourage partnership working. They believe this allows for a holistic approach which can benefit us as clients most comprehensively.
Their aim is to work to empower us in our journey of recovery, to manage our problems and live more effectively as well as develop under used resources and seek missed opportunities. The Haven's goal is to help build self confidence and self esteem as well as to strengthen our sense of personal responsibility. Ultimately assisting us, as clients to developing alternative coping strategies and prevent or manage our difficulties..
The Haven is a community project in Colchester, Essex, that supports people who have suffered significant trauma in their childhood, for example; physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual abuse. This has resulted in a personality disorder diagnosis, often leaving the person emotionally stunted, unable to move beyond the trauma and stuck at the age the trauma began. This eventually leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms and individuals often find themselves resorting to alcohol, drugs, self harm, risky behaviours and complex trust and relationship difficulties. The Haven community project is based on trust and safety,for individuals who through no fault of their own have been emotionally crippled by events beyond their control.
The CCG (Clinical commissioning Group) have refused to finance us as they obviously believe that the budget belongs elsewhere, despite impressive figures showing that on average Haven clients attendance at A&E and acute wards has reduced by 80% and now has a suicide rate of less than 1 % over the ten years The Haven has been running. This is compared with a national average of 8-10% according to the Royal College of Psychiatry figures. Should Haven clients revert to the national average suicide figures an additional 14-18 people will be committing suicide in the next year following The Haven closure and there would be a four fold increase in the use of A&E and acute ward services. This shows how beneficial The Haven Project is and has been in helping us as clients who have Personality disorders to remain in the community and lead a more balanced, fulfilling life.
The Haven project has been successfully running for 10 years and we fear that the loss of The Haven will have a terrible impact on the lives of the people who have found a place that they can trust and feel safe as well as build on positive relationships to grow and recover from their trauma. Not only will us as clients suffer but it will have a detrimental effect on our families, friends and carers causing them great anxiety and stress. Our loved ones know that when we are at The Haven we are gaining ongoing support and that we are safe, which enables them to have peace of mind and gives them respite.
Overall, The Haven has saved North East Essex's health and social care economy over £800,000 per annum. However, It has been estimated that the loss of The Haven will cause a deficit of £1,000,000 per annum. This in turn will then have a negative effect on the mental health care that is provided within North East Essex.
When you donate to The Haven Project
You will save someone from self-harming,
You might even save their life.
You will help them create better families,
Better education and employment futures.
Choose Life,
Choose prevention,
Choose The Haven.
Fundly's default amount for a donation is £10, however we are grateful for any amount that you wish to donate, so to allow people to donate less, please click the link below, which will take you to The Haven website to the Donation page, where you can donate through Pay-pal or via your bank card. Please include the message "Fundly" as then we can add your donation to our fundly website.
http://www.thehavenproject.org.uk/Donations.html
On our last note we would like to thank you all for taking the time to read about The Haven Project and to donate to our campaign. Even if you are unable to make a donation please become a supporter and help us spread the word about The Haven project far and wide. Share with your friends and family on social networking sites. Any type of support will be greatly appreciated. Stay tuned to keep updated on how we are doing, video messages and blog's from clients are to follow.
Many Thanks and Best Wishes,
Laura & Julie. (Haven Clients)
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Help Support The Haven Project...... We have not given up hope!!
Please show your support by sharing a selfie picture drinking a cup of Tea for...Tetley Tuesday!! Please share with family and friends!
The Haven Project will be discussed at Westminster on Tuesday 17th March.
WHERE THERE'S TEA, THERE'S HOPE!!
Follow the link!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/514028248735270/
Sign in with your Facebook account or email.
Let's keep our fingers crossed, Hope is the little voice you hear whisper "maybe" when it seems the entire world is shouting "no".
Just to confirm the The Haven shut it's door's to clients on 13/02/15.
Nobody has given up the fight!!
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THE HAVEN PROJECT WAS TALKED ABOUT IN PARLIAMENT ON 24/02/15 BY:
Sir Bob Russell (Colchester) (LD), The Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb) and Mr Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) (Con):
Here is what they said:
Sir Bob Russell (Colchester) (LD),
What guidance he has given to clinical commissioning groups and mental health trusts on jointly funding not-for-profit voluntary and charitable organisations providing support for people with mental health issues.[907652]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb):
The Government are clear that voluntary organisations and charities make an important contribution to the delivery of local health and social care services, including services that support people’s mental health needs. However, it is the responsibility of local commissioners to commission appropriate services based on their local population’s needs.
Sir Bob Russell:
The Minister will be aware that although the NHS is one organisation, trusts seem to operate as silos. Will he convene a meeting of all the trusts in the Colchester area to discuss the future of the Haven project?
Norman Lamb:
I visited the Haven last week with my hon. Friend, and I was enormously impressed by everything I heard, including the extraordinary testimonies of people with personality disorders who had benefited so much from the Haven’s service. In my view, it would be incredibly sad and very worrying if that service were to be lost. I am happy to invite the clinical commissioning group and the mental health trust to a meeting in the Department to discuss how it can be saved.
Mr Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) (Con):
What discussions he has had with (a) the Haven project in Colchester and (b) NHS bodies in north Essex on the need for continuing funding for support for people with moderate to severe personality disorder.[907654]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb):
My right hon. and noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for quality responded in February 2014 to correspondence from the client chair of the Haven project about its funding. As I said a few minutes ago, decisions on NHS funding are a matter for local commissioners, but I will invite North East Essex clinical commissioning group to meet to discuss the issue in more detail.
Mr Jenkin:
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for taking such a close interest in the matter, and for the visit paid by the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter). Although I understand the huge cost pressures on the CCG, may I invite my right hon. Friend to study the Enable East report, which made a different recommendation on how the unit should be treated? It would be sad to close the leading example among 11 Department of Health pilots, when all the other 10 are being kept open as the lessons learned are so valuable.
Norman Lamb:
I am very much aware of the work that my right hon. Friend and my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Sir Bob Russell) have done on this. It is interesting that all the other 10 pilots have continued. They are part of NHS trusts. This is the only one run by a voluntary sector organisation. It is an incredibly valuable service. I was struck by the extent to which people said how much they had reduced their hospital in-patient admissions as a result of the incredibly impressive preventive work that this service provides, and I want to look into it further.
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The Guardian
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Plaudits but no cash for Haven that helps those with personality disorder
A centre that has helped hundreds of ‘untreatable’ people get their lives on track and cut hospital admissions is now set to close as funding is pulled
Pernille Petersen, chief executive of the Haven, says it has saved the NHS more than £800,000 a year. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian
David Batty
@David_Batty
Tuesday 27 January 2015 15.00 GMT
For a decade the Haven project in Essex has won plaudits for its pioneering work with people with personality disorder. The service, based in a small Victorian church in central Colchester, has challenged the notion that those with the diagnosis, who tend to exhibit recurrent self-harm and substance misuse, are untreatable.
As a result of its combination of intensive therapy and peer support, many of the clients, who were previously trapped in a revolving door of emotional crisis and psychiatric admission, have begun to rebuild their lives, by finding work, for example, and reforging broken relationships with their families.
The specialist service, set up in 2004 under the government’s national personality disorder development programme, is now under threat because central funding for the project has ceased and the local clinical commissioning group has decided not to fund its work, claiming it does not represent value for money or serve a large enough group of people.
Pernille Petersen, chief executive of the Haven, says the refusal to fund the service, which has helped almost 300 clients over the past decade overcome the suspicion and fear they felt after years of unsympathetic or inappropriate treatment is a huge blow. “They feel they have been abandoned,” she says of the clients, 86% of whom have suffered childhood abuse or neglect.
Up to 13% of the population has a personality disorder, defined as deeply ingrained behaviours that range from alienation to dependency, obsessiveness, narcissism and violence, according to Department of Health figures. Historically psychiatrists deemed those with the condition to be untreatable and it was considered a “dustbin diagnosis”.
The project provides 24-hour, seven-days-a-week face-to-face and telephone advice and support; respite care beds where people could stay if they felt they were at risk of crisis; a range of therapeutic interventions, including in-depth work on clients’ underlying traumas; skills workshops and employment support.
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Petersen says the project, which costs £500,000 annually to run, has saved the NHS more than £800,000 a year. On average, among its clients there’s an 80% reduction in visits to A&E and acute psychiatric wards, and they have a suicide rate of less than 1% over 10 years, compared to the national average of 8-10% among people with personality disorder.
These figures were supported by the findings of a review of personality disorder services in east Essex, commissioned by north-east Essex clinical commissioning group (CCG). The 2013 report by Enable East, an independent NHS team that assesses health and social care organisations, commended the project and said its closure would present a “significant clinical risk” to the current clients, and risked increasing the pressure on other NHS services, as well as the “loss of national centre of innovation”. It recommended integrating the care provided by the Haven and North Essex Partnership Foundation Trust, which runs local mental health services.
The north-east Essex CCG says the review showed that only a small number of individuals benefited from the Haven project, compared to the much higher local need. Dr Shane Gordon, the CCG’s chief clinical officer says: “It is regrettable that Department for Health funding for this pilot is about to come to an end. However, we are ensuring that alternative services are available to support the needs of these service users and their carers as well as those people with a personality disorder who may need services who currently do not access the Haven Project.”
Yet Petersen says about 20% of the clients are at significant risk of self-harm or attempting suicide if the services closes. “People who have not been cutting [themselves] for maybe seven, eight, nine years have cut for the first time,” she says, because the potential closure is causing them extreme anxiety.
With the project losing its premises at the end of February, all those involved in the Haven are trying to find ways to continue its services. Clients have set up a Facebook campaign, a crowdfunding webpage, and an online petition, which has attracted nearly 2,700 signatures.
Petersen is bidding for up to £150,000 lottery funding and £30,000 from Essex county council to keep the Haven running for another three years. Even if she is successful, the money will not cover existing provision, and some services, such as respite care, will be cut while the number of full-time equivalent staff will almost halve. If her bid fails, all that will remain is a group of about 20 clients who have set up weekly support meetings.
Helen Price, 36, chairwoman of the Haven client advisory group, was homeless and self-harming when she became a client 10 years ago. Now she is happily married and doing voluntary work. Her biggest concern about the loss of the Haven is that people will fall through the gaps in statutory services.
“I’m not just concerned about my clients themselves but [also] the effect on their immediate loved ones,” she says. “We’ve kept families together, so kids haven’t had to go into foster care.
“My father killed himself. When I get Facebook messages from the children of our clients who are scared that they’re going to have to resort to ringing the police if mum or dad is in crisis, that breaks my heart.
“What we’ve done here is incredible but perhaps taking it away now is the most damaging thing.
“I almost can’t bear to think of it finishing. The day the doors close it will be a kind of bereavement.”
Mental health Health Public sector cuts
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An article about The Haven Project which is in The Daily Mirror.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/life-saving-clinic-being-closed-5053865#ICID=sharebar_twitter
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AND........
You're so brave, so strong, so lovely and you can fly so high, Others are so often in awe of you, did you know that? And believe me when i say to you now that you are valued every bit as much when you're stooping as when you soar. Right now, settled on the ground, with your wings folded down around you. I think i value you more.
Everything happens for a reason good people have told you, and you've done your very best to believe them. This philosophy offers such comfort and peace. And in retrospect, when looking back upon some lives, for the most part, it rings true. So much that was painful or disappointing later proves to serve us. And i know with all of my heart that your own hurt will serve you. But i can't offer up that everything happens for a reason to you. My throat closes around those words the moment they occur to me, and bitterness rises up to meet them.
How can there possibly be a reason for people to be tortured physically, sexually, emotionally or spiritually? There is no reason. And I've long since given up my quest to acquire one. I refuse to tell you that the devastation that you suffered happened for a reason, What acceptable reason could there possibly be? I've looked into so many pain filled eyes. Eyes that reflect a tortured soul, eyes that ask why? WHY? And you know what? There never was a why that i found acceptable. Not a single explanation that was ever good enough for me. And so tired angel i come to you emptied of answers. I can't take away your WHY and replace it with an explanation. I wish i could. I want to so very much to take your pain away.
Because i cannot take away your pain, i come to you with a modest offering. One so small, that i'm humbled as i hold it out to you. It's a small stone with one word engraved upon it's surface. The word is AND.
You were hurt very badly AND yet in spite of the hurt, you've grown. You were deeply wounded AND still you survived. You were exposed to the worst in human behaviour AND yet you've always tried to give your best. Your voice was silenced AND still you've heard and responded to the pain of others. You were touched by evil AND you've chosen to embrace goodness. You were betrayed AND still you seek trust. You've been vulnerable and exposed AND still you've sheltered lost souls with your wings. Your agony can't be denied, but neither such precious angel can all of the AND's that are contained within you. They too have shaped you, and even as your pain has left you grounded, they surely make up the magic that will lead you once again to fly. Take them with you. One day we all will fly.
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This song is dedicated to our Della, who died of natural causes, surrounded by her family.
Heaven got another Angel tonight. xxx
The roses aren't as Pretty
The sun isn't quite as high
The birds don't sing as sweet of a lullaby
The star seem a little bit faded
The clouds just a little more gray
And it feels like things won't ever be the same
Heaven got another angel tonight
You left this world behind
Heaven got a little better the day
It took you away from me
I'm missing you tonight
I'll see you again sometime
For now I'll close my eyes
And dream of heaven tonight
The beaches aren't as lovely
The sky isn't quite as blue
Still, they're sweetened by the memory of you
The rain is a little bit colder
The fire is never quite as warm
Still, it seems that heaven isn't all that far
Heaven got another angel tonight
You left this world behind
Heaven got a little better the day
It took you away from me
I'm missing you tonight
I'll see you again sometime
For now I'll close my eyes
And dream of heaven tonight
I'm spending a little morenow
With the things that mean a little bit more
I'm noticing thewonders of this world
I love with a little more hope now
I live with a little more peace
Cause I understand how precious life can be
Heaven got another angel tonight
You left this world behind
Heaven got a little better the day
It took you away from me
I'm missing you tonight
I'll see you again sometime
For now I'll close my eyes
And dream of heaven tonight
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Don't let anyone tell you anything different!
Pink - perfect
http://youtu.be/-BIye98Ryic
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JUST A FEW OF PEOPLES VIEWS ON SAVING OUR HAVEN
Sir Bob Russell MP OLCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM about 1 month ago Liked 8
I obviously support efforts – as agreed by those who run The Haven – to ensure that it remains open. I welcome all guidance from the operators as to how best I can support what they are doing.
Dr Chris Nicholson Nicholson
Because we know at Essex how valued this project is to local people - it is one of the few remaining Havens for those with mental health issues currently being abandoned by Government.
The Haven's Therapeutic community has been established and steered by people with a personality disorder diagnosis...they know what works for them and The Haven does! service user led which meets a need that statutory services are not providing, leaving vulnerable people more vulnerable. This will have a huge impact on the already stretched statutory acute services.
Removing funding for the Haven is an utterly insane decision. Having worked with the Haven's clients I can see the absolute difference it has made to their lives. And the stats back it up - hospital admissions etc down - this place saves the country £800,000 per year and transforms people's lives. Why would anyone remove it's funding?!
The Haven's Therapeutic community has been established and steered by people with a personality disorder diagnosis...they know what works for them and The Haven does! service user led which meets a need that statutory services are not providing, leaving vulnerable people more vulnerable. This will have a huge impact on the already stretched statutory acute services.
We need this service and this is why, Those suffering from any form of personality disorder need meaningful involvement from professionals not just token jesters here and there; we need services that provides a safe and supported environment. We need to feel contained and understood. As a client group we need realistic working relationships with professional and we need to be able to pull on the strengths of the service users as they are the key element to any form of positive working. We need to remember they were not born with a label over there head. We need to raise the awareness that the negative comments and stigma comments hurt but or so influence how other see and think about us, People with Personality Disorders are not monsters our core belief In ourselves have been damaged for one reason or another and peoples past always effects the present but for those with a personality disorder often they have a damaged sense of self through no fault of their own. As humans we all need secure attachment to others, feel competent and have a stable sense of self, we all need realistic limits and self control, we need to be able to express our needs and emotions and have the chance to be spontaneous and playful and this isn’t always the case for some growing up and as adults we struggle to put these in place due to lack of our own boundaries. Since the Haven started it started to form the foundations of positive relationships and firm boundaries and helped our clients to develop a sense of trust and belonging and self respect always putting the responsibility back on to the person, The Haven became the safe family so many of our clients never had they took away the fear of opening up and proved to so many that Haven doesn’t give up unlike many other services that had worked with our clients previously. With the haven there is no time restraint and no one size fits all attitude.
I believe that the Haven is unique and totally irreplaceable if it is lost to us it will.. NOT might be BUT WILL.. set PD services back by years The Haven sets the gold standard for every aspect of best practice if the Haven is allowed to close we all lose we need to fight to save this vitally important community this place of excellence in PD care support to allow the Haven to close would be massive blow to the progress and work in in the field of PD.
This is important because everyone needs help from somewhere and Your crappy government tried to stop funding here in Oxfordshire for the complex needs service (similar to the Haven) and through petitions from the service users themselves got the funding reinstated. So by signing this petition I hope that the government will see the mistake they are doing and stop making stupid mindless decisions that effect so many individuals who through no fault of their own suffer from a very real illness get their support back that they need. STOP MESSING WITH OUT MENTAL HEALTH.........
I carried out my 100 day student Social Worker placement with the Haven Project, which i learned so much from. This experience will stay with me for the rest of my career, and has made me a better Social Worker. It is vital for the Haven Project to stay open as it offers support to clients that nowhere else i know of can offer. It would be a huge loss to loose the Haven.
During my time working at The Haven Project I observed how much this organisation supports people with PD. There is so much love within this organisation we are truly one big family. Cutting the funding would be the biggest mistake ever made it is immoral to make our clients suffer all over again when they have come so far and achieved so much. Without the help and support we provide, the wonderful clients of The Haven Project would not be where they are today. This service needs to remain open for those who use it now and for those who will need to use it in the future.
Mental health organisations do amazing work but are forever struggling due to funding being taken away. MIND had to close in Colchester and I fear that consequences will occur and who do we have to blame.. Please reconsider funding for all mental health resources, development in understanding mental health is invaluable as is the organisations trying to provide support in the community. Stop cutting funding and shave a weeks salary off all members of parliament, I expect that would keep an organization open for a while......need I say more..
Dr Heather Castillo
Even setting aside the issue of saving lives, on the basis of sheer economics the decision not to fund in an unintelligent one. Hopefully someone with more sense will realise this.
Alf Mullins
As a director of the Haven Project I have seen the difference that it makes to people's lives. For some clients it is the first time that they feel part of a family. There are measurable savings for the NHS in terms of reduced referrals to GPs, other mental health services suicide attempts etc as well as to other services such as the police. The Haven is held in high regard by pofessionals across the county and is seen as a model of how to support those with a PD diagnosis, one which many other counties look on with envy.
My Mum is a Client here and it has saved her life, enabling me and my brother to have happier upbringing. If this organisation closes down it won't just effect the clients but the families of those envolved. Please don't let the decision to stop funding the haven (which is such a brilliant and heartwarming project) destroy families and lives. I'm 15 but can see the pressure that this decision will end up putting on families but am personally worried about the effect it could have on my own family!
Smaller services struggle every year just to get by. It can sometimes appear more economical to focus on larger organisations. BUT....small organisations a like Haven are often exactly what people need and being small they retain that passion and drive to focus on the area that matters to them. Small means harder working money :) Please support
I'm the daughter of a mum who has bi polar and personally disorder , the haven is a support network ideal for helping those who don't have anyone, people who don't have a network strong enough to keep them strong. The haven is such a life support for many people who arengoimg through crisist. Please I'm begin you from a daughter who knows there mum hasn't got the network to stay strong, thank you
As a support worker I have seen the changes this place makes to individuals lives , it's a safe place for then to relax unwind and rejuvenate from the stresses that arise , funding shouldn't be a problem if the government gave it to the projects that help others drastically x
I was always impressed by Haven project and believed in it as one of the best treatment options for PD ! Please do not make unwise decision of stop funding, it is not only unethical it will be also very costly to replace it, because clients with personality disorder will not disappear and will need alternative care. dr Beata Paskova, Consultant psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Severe PD unit Springbank, Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge
I have worked with vulnerable adults in Colchester for approximately 25 years - the Haven Project is an exceptional organisation which does fantastic work in supporting people with personality disorders - I understand that, at one time, it was a pilot project - the work that they do and the outcomes they achieve deserve any funding to continue
I have been a mental health nurse for 30 years and someone who has had a specialist interest in the subject of personality disorder. The medical model is a totally inappropriate response to the needs of this group of people. the Haven offers a viable alternative that works. The real question is why would people want to go back to a model of care that is expensive and ineffective? Fund the Haven or the NHS will pick up a huge bill and achieve nothing,
As a client of The Haven since the start I feel sad that our local CCG don't feel the need to fund our service which has proven to change so many lives. Since coming to the Haven I have grown into someone that is no longer scared of my shadow, I smile more because with the time and patience the Haven have invested in me over the years this has given me the chance to face the past and fight for the future. The haven is a family like no other family and you would never be able to find another service this that provides this in such a way that no one is left out. The chance to access 24/7 means my family know I have somewhere safe to go and this has helped me improve the relationships I now have and the confidence to be the best wife,mum,nan and friend I can be.
The local CCG need to change there decision because to much is at risk and the fear of the unknown is causing such a impact clients are scared. yet again the services want to treat us like those who have hurt us in the past this makes them no better and they should be ashamed of themselves.
(At least 1% of the population suffer with BPD, and it's totally treatable, recovery is possible, there are THREE whole different types of evidence-based therapy that exist to treat BPD, not to mention the benefits of taking a holistic approach to recovery. Left untreated it can lead to death by suicide in 10% of cases. I know 0.1% of the population dying form an illness doesn't SOUND like much, but that's actually a HUGE number of people. You could help to save lives.)
I can't understand how anyone would not want to fund The Haven. They are a fantastic provider of good support and care. Mental health services do not have the skills/expertise that is demonstrated at The Haven.
know a lady who says she is devastated by the news of its closure as she has received such great ongoing support. She says that without this vital support that people could end up being sectioned if they are left without support.
If the Haven close down because it can no longer run on the lack of funding it's receiving, so many people’s lives will be turned upside down and there will be more pressure on NHS services and that will lead to vulnerable people more vulnerable.
Without this wonderful caring place life would be very sad and difficult for so many people and their families. I have nothing but praise and thanks for the support care they have given to my son.
I visited The Haven Project today and heard about the possible closure. Having benefitted from spending time in another therapeutic community I know how valuable these special places are for people with personality disorder. So many statutory services offer a quick fix which is unhelpful and in the long term and costs more money and further distress to people with personality disorder. Don`t let the Haven been another community that closes. There are so few left in the UK and if David Cameron was to spend some time with staff at the Haven or people with personality disorder he may realise that actually in the long term The Haven will save money.
Services like this saves lives & having PD myself, if I hadn't had access to a service like The Haven Project I would not be celebrating my 30th birthday in a few months. Cutting services like this will cost more in the long run in A&E admissions, paramedic call outs, treatments in inpatient units etc. The statistics speak for themselves.
The Haven Project is my mums livelihood. She has worked here helping people for many years and I don't really know a lot of people so passionate about a job as she is. It is so incredibly important that the support for The Haven Project continues, so that she can continue to help people on a daily and nightly basis. Without funding, people with severe problems won't have even the simplest support, like a voice at the end of a phone or just knowing that someone understands and will listen without judgement. Everyone deserves help, so let's do our bit for each other. We're all human, so let's hold on to the hope that such an important service can be saved!
My partner is with The Haven. It has been an absolute life-saver for her, literally. Also, for some-one to be on the end of a phone for her has often saved my sanity. All who work at The Haven are so very supportive and understanding. This is not just a job to them, this is something that comes from their hearts. If there is anything I can do to help, please e-mail me.
As one of the clinical supervisors to some of the Haven's therapists for a number of years, I am in admiration of the real changes this project has made to many individuals' lives and those of their families through staff commitment, warmth and professional ethos.
I have worked at the Haven, and it's such a lovely environment. Speaking to clients and learning how much the Haven has helped them was completely overwhelming and really touched me. I always thought more places like this should exist! It's been proven to be a success, bringing hospital admissions down, which in turn helps to decrease the strain on the NHS so it doesn't make sense to not be able to continue the service when it's made such an impact. It's such a worthwhile project, it would be heartbreaking if it was no longer able to continue being funded.
My neice has been ill for more than seven years, has been sectioned several times, but since her referral to the Haven, five months ago, she has stayed out of hospital, has been given appropriate support and has not self harmed. After many years of suffering I feel at long last this is just the right kind of service which will actually help her and others to get better.
The Haven has been a constant source of stability in many people's lives over a number of years. Personality Disorder is a very difficult diagnosis to be given, but the Haven is so full of hope, that through its caring and expertise clients begin to feel that they can reach out to people that understand them and won't leave them.
I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder last November wouldn't like to see such a great, helpful & friendly service like The Haven Project close down due to lack of funding as it has helped so many people through tough times and also helped people to start understanding themselves better & not feel so alone, empty & like there is no one out there who will help or understand!
The Haven has been a life saver for a family member. without the haven i dread to think how she would cope without their support. The Haven Project have helped stop admissions to hospital by offering her the crisis bed and respite beds. And they have been there for her 24/7 when ive not been able to be there for her. the Haven Project is vital for helping her with everyday life and managing life in general.
The Haven staff and service users have worked so hard to get to this point. It is a very important place for people to go and get the support they need. It would be a travesty if it did not continue.
When my children were small many years ago, my doctor at that time sent a psychiatrist to visit me at my home address. I had never before in my life met this psychiatrist. I welcomed him in in a friendly and polite manner as he later documented, along with being co operative answering his questions with one word answers as requested. Unbeknown to the psychiatrist, my husband had swapped the baby alarm to enable my husband to be able to listen to our conversation. After approximately five minutes, the psychiatrist said I was 'on a high'. I had not presented with any other mood than this apparent 'high'. On this sudden and somewhat absurd diagnosis, my husband immediately came down the stairs and joined us demanding to see the psychiatrist's identity in respect of the strangely brash and absurd diagnosis and in such a short time after meeting me. A builder was also working on our house at the time and he also stopped what he was doing to some and find out what was going on. Recently I had a wad of papers... my medical history whereby I found a copy of the report this psychiatric doctor had written in follow up to his appointment to see me. I was horrified to see the psychiatrist had written that my 'uncoordinated activity was interfering with my husband's daily routine. There was absolutely nothing documented as to what 'unco ordinated activity' he was referring to, or the relevance if there was any truth in me 'interfering with my husbands routine'. I always thought children produced in a family was more of a joint venture and my husband should take property over my health rather than his 'daily routine'??? Anyway, irrelevance aside, the documented advice this psychiatrist apparently gave my husband came back to torment me and be used as a trump card to extort finances in divorce decades on. My husband regularly told me it was only a phone call away he could have me sectioned and this advantageous trump card was absolutely ideal to persuade solicitors in divorce that I was 'not of sound mind to make my own decisions'. I went for a blood test and the department had closed but it had been suggested I registered at A&E which I did. As it was so busy, I went back later to collect my results. My medical records were accessed in the meantime and the purpose of visit had been recorded at Mental Illness. The police had been to attend domestic abuse incidents and my husband was able to inform police I had mental problems. The police checked their records and low and behold, yes, mental illness had crept in there too. Basically, this hypomania insinuation had gone viral. A short time after the Hypomania had been diagnosed, I had a CT scan and an epidermoid cyst was encasing my trigeminal nerve hence I had neurosurgery in January in 1993.
The Haven has been a great support to my mother who is a PD sufferer and is a wonderful source of advice and rehabilitation to many others. To see the Haven be closed down due to lack of Government funding would be a terrible waste of such a fantastic support structure for so many who suffer with this condition.
I am a community nurse with Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust and have had some contact with people who use the Haven. When I and colleagues visited the project and heard how much of a lifeline it is for people with personality disorders, we felt a similar service in Suffolk was desperately needed. It is with great sadness that I hear this excellent service is at risk; I dread to think what the impact of this would be on the people who use and rely on it. The impact on other local services if the Haven closes is likely to be significant and difficult to cope with.
I have attended courses about peronality disorders which were joint run, and I believe jointly written, by people who use the Haven, the staff who support them there and health professionals. At the time of the courses, there was no concern re the future of the Haven but people were reflecting that they would not cope with the pressures of life without the service. The alternative for many people when they get to a point of not being able to cope is hospital, and this does not seem a moral or ethical alternative to a service like the Haven.
The Haven Project has supported my mother for many years and through their support, I finally have a mother in a way I did not when I was growing up. My mother has changed from a 'quivering wreck' of a person to a wonderful caring grandmother and volunteers at the local Oxfam shop, something she would never have been able to do without their support. To take away the support the Haven Project provides, I believe, would ultimately result in a full relapse over time and we would end up losing our mother again, possibly to the point of her managing to end her life, which she had attempted many times before she met The Haven Project. Please, I beg you, this is not just one woman's story, there are hundreds of people they have helped who could potentially become a serious burden again on the over-stretched Mental Health budget. Please PLEASE reconsider the funding for this incredible project.
Patrick Webb O.B.E. At a time when support for those with learning and social difficulties needs to be positively dealt with, it seems a great shame to lose any established centre of excellence for the sake of a relative few pounds. It is at times of such concern that we all expect the Government to act with positive influence and secure funding.
I used to work there as a session therapist and know how important it is for the people who use it
The Haven Project is a repeating miracle that takes in people who the system gives up on, damages further and gives them hope, unconditional love and a way out of the spiral of self harm, risky behaviour and repeated admissions to psychiatric services. In The Haven I meet people who bear PD Diagnoses themselves helping each other to find recovery in a way the Mental Health services locally cannot match. Withdrawing funding for something that patently works in favour of things that patently don't makes no sense. Please Mr Cameron, this matters.
I am a support worker and have supported many people at the Haven . I know that with out the Havens support many of my clients would not be alive and able to carry on with their lives, living by themselves or with their family . It would be a tragedy if the Haven were to shut down . Please do not let this happen .
I believe that a service like this should be backed all the way, it is so important that people who have mental health issues have the support they need 24/7 as projects like The Haven offer support when it is most needed and when a person is most vulnerable to harming themselves.This service can be the safety net that prevents any harm being done. Therefore it is vital government accepts their responsibility to aid financially those who so frequently give up their time and energy for free, in giving support and advise to any in society who suffer.
Don't think of the majority think of the minority with mental dis-orders. Don't be selfish and over look this matter. These,people are real and deserved to be looked after. The government should be giving aid to this and other charities so that can rebuild these people which in the long run will help them get back into the land of the living and start living for themselves and they themselves can help other people.
THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE LIKE THE HAVEN IN ESSEX AND IT'S VITAL THAT IT CONTINUE IT'S ROLE, PLEASE HELP SUPPORT THEM IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE ONE DAY YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW MIGHT NEED THEM
The government needs to consider the broader picture when considering funding for The Haven, which clearly provides an invaluable service to the community. Far better that a comparatively modest sum of money is provided for the ongoing operation of this humane, friendly, inclusive and practical approach towards mending broken lives than high-cost psychiatrists, psychologists and NHS agencies who are obviously failing to deliver.
I have received some fantastic training at the Haven in my role as a professional, and heard from service users how valuable this service is. I feel strongly that if it were to cease it would not only be a great loss to those who use it and the dedicated staff, but this would put additional strain on an already stretched NHS budget. Those in need of this unique support would therefore be unlikely to receive the same quality and level of care and warmth that The Haven provides.
The Haven Project does outstanding work with people who suffer from personality disorders across Essex, I volunteered there during my Summer last year and was touched by how much effort and work the staff there put into helping people, and how much the people benefited.
I worked with a number of people with Personality Disorder 2 years ago within a secure mental health unit. The Haven offered those people a safe place to talk/sleep/be accepted once they were discharged. All of the people I worked with had only positive things to say about the Haven and believed the place and the staff played a huge part in helping them come to terms with their disorder and to live their lives as fully as possible.
Dr Heather Castillo Even setting aside the issue of saving lives, on the basis of sheer economics the decision not to fund is an unintelligent one. Hopefully someone with more sense will decide differently.
Because I am a member of The Haven and having been involved over the last few years I am well aware of the valuable work it does and the cost benefits to local 'mainstream' NHS and social care services.
I work in Suffolk with marginalised and vulnerable adults, many of whom have been diagnosed with a personality disorder. There are so many people who do not understand how a person with a personality disorder feels, so to take away a place of sanctuary and support in which they rely on could be extremely detrimental to their health and possibly their life. I think instead of letting the Haven close, we should all be learning from them on how we can improve our understanding.
I have been registered at the Haven for nearly three years in that time the Haven has been there for me. my hospital admissions have been shorter than before I was registered saving the NHS thousands as each hospital admission comes at a cost and the longer you are institutionalised the more money it costs. the Haven Project has been there night and day when i've needed support. the care and love that you get from the staff and other clients is amazing. if the Haven where to close approximatly 200 clients will be left without a service that understand people with Personality Disorder, this wont only put a huge strain on NHS resources but many clients will undoubtedly be hospitalised under the mental health act. this will cost mental health services hundreds of thousands of pounds. so by having funding from outside resources will keep the overall cost and stain on the NHS to a minimum. without the Haven I may not be alive today to help raise awareness of keeping the Haven Project running and saving lives.
I am a user of the Haven and without having this organisation I would no doubt be an institutionalised individual stuck in the NHS mental health systems. However I have obtained work through the haven and continued support to help me stay out in the community.
This service is VITAL for so many individuals. The support at The Haven allows them to 'live' their lives independently and manage with the diagnosis in a positive way. Knowing that if they become unwell they instantly have the network they need to support them until they can regain control without having to enter/ put strain on secondary mental health services.
This service has been a lifeline for a very dear, childhood friend who had a very traumatic time, through no fault of her own. Please continue to fund The Haven Project to continue to support her and many people who find themselves in a similar situation. There by the grace of God or other better fortune go all of us.
Without the vast experienced support of The Haven there is little doubt i would have died at my own hands, leavind behind 2 children.Today i am living a good life,working hard and contributing to society. But i still need the support of the haven. Please dont deny me my future.
I have a family member that atteneds the service in colchester and with out the Havens ongoing support i will worry now what will happen when my family member becomes unwell and needs support. The Haven has taken the pressure off for the family which then enables us to no longer live in fear of that dreaded phone call. the haven is an amazing place with so many kind and caring people in it. this service needs saving.
We have to the haven ! It's the best ! It's helped me so much through difficult times and I'm hoping it will do so in the future
because they have helped my daughter get her life back on track and are still helping her
I am appalled by the CGG decision not to continue to fund this amazing project for persons with a diagnosed PD. The proven results and financial savings evidence that this should continue to be funded appropriately.
Because mainstream mental health services are not structured to support people with personality disorders. My sister in law has a personality disorder and has been a revolving door patient for the last fifteen years at the Lakes and is now waiting to be seen at the Haven. I have been to the Haven and it has a unique understanding of personality disorders which is significantly lacking within the crisis, community and inpatient set ups. This is a huge step back for those seeking to support people with personality disorders in the community. The Haven do not work on traditional recovery and discharge results because of the nature of PDs and because of this lack of knowledge and understanding, thousands of people (patients, families, friends and health practitioners) will miss out on the opportunity to understand, learn and grow. Bitterly disappointed in UK government for making such a short sighted decision.
The Haven is a unique and remarkable service, providing 24 hour support to people with Personality Disorder. It is a safe place of friendship and hope, providing the support people need to get on with their lives. These cuts will have a negative effect on many people and will ultimately cost the NHS and the taxpayer much more in unplanned admissions to hospital. Keep it open.
Because I have seen first hand the amazing support this project gives to very vulnerable people
I have worked here since the project started and know he real difference that the project makes to people in a world of little hope.
This service is invaluable. It saves lives, promotes hope and well being, strengthens families and saves tax payers' money.
I am a mental health patient with a personality disorder. I became an NHS patient in Essex and found their services less than savory. Had I had the availability of support such as this I could have had a much more stable experience. Charitable services such as this must not be undervalued by the Government. Their services provide much relied upon assistance DIRECTLY through the community often cheaper and more effectively than NHS services. This organisation provides a caring environment for people who are psychiatrically unwell where Government and NHS has failed.
Dr Jay Watts NEWRYThose who have been abused desperately need a safe place like this to put the feelings back together.
I'm BPD and bipolar and i think that this is great project or even an effort to help people out. Even tho I live in a country which doesn't support or give us a chance for a normal life and help, they isolated us from society and calling us mad and crazy. I'm glad that somewhere in a world people think differently and try to help each other. We are all human beings and we deserve a normal healthy life and a chance to be happy.
Please do not let these people down. Places like The haven are needed to provided support and care away from their environment. Cbt and DBT are not enough on their own and cannot be seen as a replacement for thes kind if services. My son was lucky to have had inpatient treatment for I year at the Henderson in sutton before it closed and it went a long way in helping him to gain responsibility for himself and view his world differently. Please do neglect the services that help, there is scant provision now!
It has saved the NHS thousands of pounds by preventing hospital admissions and revolving door contact with NHS community services. It is highly valued by it's users and enables people a real a chnace to live a life worth meaninv with this diagnosis.
Borderline personality disorder causes distress to everyone, the diagnosed, family & all who come into contact with the diagnosed. But, undiagnosed & supported, it also costs more longterm in police services, A&E services, inpatient psychiatric services, prison services, social services, drug & alcohol services etc. Surely it is more cost effective to fund the Haven, which is has built up a wealth of experience in this area?
Peoples lives matter, sometimes that is the only support network people have or the only place where they can trust people... Somewhere to be safe, take away the funding and you take away people's chance at life
The service The Haven provides is such a precious resource to the provision of mental health care in the area. Life enhancing, life changing and life saving. We cannot afford to lose this service.
I was lucky enough to have some free training for helping people with personality disorders at the Haven Project and see what a wonderful place this is for people who are struggling to cope with life. We need more of these places not less, so please Prime Minister Cameron keep The Haven Project well-funded
This is important to me because I know people who have personality disorders and I do not believe that anyone should have to suffer because those who are deemed "normal" are allowed to hurt those of us who are stigmatized.
This is why we need this service, Those suffering from any form of personality disorder need meaningful involvement from professionals not just token jesters here and there; we need services that provides a safe and supported environment. We need to feel contained and understood. As a client group we need realistic working relationships with professional and we need to be able to pull on the strengths of the service users as they are the key element to any form of positive working. We need to remember they were not born with a label over there head. We need to raise the awareness that the negative comments and stigma comments hurt but or so influence how other see and think about us, People with Personality Disorders are not monsters our core belief In ourselves have been damaged for one reason or another and peoples past always effects the present but for those with a personality disorder often they have a damaged sense of self through no fault of their own. As humans we all need secure attachment to others, feel competent and have a stable sense of self, we all need realistic limits and self control, we need to be able to express our needs and emotions and have the chance to be spontaneous and playful and this isn’t always the case for some growing up and as adults we struggle to put these in place due to lack of our own boundaries. Since the Haven started it started to form the foundations of positive relationships and firm boundaries and helped our clients to develop a sense of trust and belonging and self respect always putting the responsibility back on to the person, The Haven became the safe family so many of our clients never had they took away the fear of opening up and proved to so many that Haven doesn’t give up unlike many other services that had worked with our clients previously. With the haven there is no time restraint and no one size fits all attitude.
MENTAL HEALTH IS SOMETHING THAT SO MANY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM - AND ITS IS NOT CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT! THIS COSTS LIVES IF NO SUPPORT IS PROVIDED. CAN YOU BEAR THE DEATHS ON YOUR CONCSCIENCE BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING? YOU COULD SUFFER TOMORROW - WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW THERE WAS SOMEONE TO HELP YOU? NHS IS BUDGET LIMITED - SO DON'T USE THAT AS A WAY OUT.
The Haven has helped my family immeasurably and to see it close would be an absolute disgrace.
The Haven can be the difference between life and death. What's more important money or life......
it has helped me out a lot, without it i would be in and out of hospital so please give us some funding. i feel that the haven is my family and my support network and without it i would be truly lost.
The Haven has been an important and potentially life saving refuge for my ex wife for many years now, Without this institution my children may not have a mother now!
The Haven lives up to its name. If it closes its many clients will lose the friendship, support and lifeline that it gives to those suffering from mental illness.
This is a wonderful service offering hope to people with personality disorder often as a result of trauma or multiple traumas. In many cases the trauma is linked to child abuse.With support these people have a chance to recover and fulfil their potential.
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An invisible illness with dire effects to society from those that suffer from it, closing this project will only lead to more suicides and another burden on the NHS.
Having overdosed on several occasions because of the unbearable intense emotions caused by abuse & trauma's in my past. The haven is there if I need support, I feel safe there. Being sectioned does my emotional & mental health no good at all. If things go pear shaped in my life the haven staff are there to help me cope without putting myself at risk.
We need the haven, it works to enable us to change our unhealthy coping strategies to healthy ones. Without it there would be many families who would end up with loosing a relative. Children without a mother, the pattern of behavior their mother had is then passed down to another generation. It could be any relative with pd who succeeds in ending their life. This has a huge impact on family & friends alike. I don't want to see anyone suffer from pd that is caused by abuse in their past.
This project helped a member of my family through some very hard times and I would hate to see it close and think of all those people who really need help, being left with out support and the consequences of that.
My brother has had a lot of help from The Haven when he feels in crisis. As a family, we try to help, but his problem makes him very selfish and he very rarely listens to our suggestions. To be able to talk to people outside of the family is extremely helpful.
I work in primary care psychological services and a lot of clients I see would benefit from this service if we had similar where I work locally. This facility is near where i live so I am very aware of how highly it is regarded by mental health professionals
I believe everyone should be entitled to treatment, regardless of ones finances or upbringing. I feel the discrimination harms people. Prevention is supposed to be better than a cure according to th Hippocrates, but this is not the case with many mental health treatments that typically go alongside these types of diagnosis.
An important resourse for a neglected client group.
I am a mental health nurse and I have seen how this service benefits individuals
Because I am a client and I am going to be alone if the project ends. High risk of ending back in a hospital bed
As someone who also has a personality disorder and gets very little help for it. Its nice to know that others are being helped. Brilliant cause, and I hope it doesn't get Shut down.
People with personality disorders are often at a disadvantage due to the structure of support organisations available to them both in the statutory and voluntary sector. This resource is therefore vital to offering people support who may not be able to get this elsewhere.
Pd services are very limited, The haven is a very valuable resource that we, the mental health service, need more all over the country
The haven saved my wife's life
I run a Suicide Crisis Centre and a significant number of our clients have a diagnosis of a personality disorder. We have no personality disorder service in our area, and we see the consequences, in terms of ongoing suicide risk at our Suicide Crisis Centre. The Haven is what service users want and they are the people you should listen to.
As a mental health professional I know the level of savings they produce in funding terms and the enhanced outcomes they achieve.
I have just recently had excellent training on this condition with staff from the Haven and it made me realise how much of an adverse affect this disorder can have on so many peoples lives. To close The Haven seems crazy as the service it offers makes such an enormous difference to those who suffer with personality disorders. This is a project that the government should actively be encouraging and supporting as it goes a long way in helping those whose only way of coping without this organisation is through self harm drug and alcohol abuse and many other maladaptive behaviours often leading to suicide for many who find life too unbearable and become desperate.
Hope they can sleep at night knowing the destruction this could cause!
I'm a MH professional that works with people with a personality disorder. I have always been impressed from afar by the fantastic work of the Haven Project. People depend on this service.
The Haven provides a key service to its clients providing tremendous support to help people manage their problems. It seems extremely short sited and against Government policy to put more funding into mental health and keep people out of hospital
Because my son nearly died last year - we have woefully inadequate support for all patients with Mental Health problems especially BPD s. Any service which offers light and support in a very dark places and set examples of good practise need to be held up not diluted down.
The Haven has long been recognised as a centre of excellence in the treatment of personality disorders and is a shining example of not only of the ethos that underpinned the National Personality Disorder Development Program, but also one of the very few specialist PD treatment services that not only complies with, but also heavily promotes the recommendations of the current NICE guidelines for the treatment and management of Borderline Personality Disorder. To replace this essential specialist PD Treatment Service with non specialist or adhoc offerings of treatment would be a huge step backwards and a complete betrayal of everything that the National PD development program stood for.
I believe that by failing to provide funding for the Haven Project the government is failing in it's duty to provide the best evidence based care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
Having a place like this is important for those people who need somewhere to go for support, without these places they wouldn't know what to do
The Haven works in a way that embraces a humanistic perspective and values the subjective experience. I would like statutory mental health services to move towards this philosophy.
As part of my community role as a psychiatric nurse, I provide care for many service users with personality disorder and i hope to keep as many people well both mental and physically in the community as possbile.
I'm signing because I'm a retired GP who has had patients who received huge support from The Haven.
As a mental health professional I have experience of the cost to services and to people's lives when people who suffer from Personality Disorders cannot access ongoing help and instead are left to try and manage without somewhere like The Haven. This kind of service does such valuable work in helping people in our community, and should be supported.
Having worked in menta lhealth for many years and have seen the benefits of the haven project. It would be a travesty to close such a positive service which actually helps reduce admissions to both general and mental health hospitals.
its a justice issue. people who make decisions to remove funding for the weakest and most at need in our society should be locked up.
It's an excellent service, a place to learn knew coping mechanism, and safety net for those who are in crisis. With out it A&E and the mentaL health units would be full.
There is a huge lack of mental health services in this country. Without support people live isolated lives being misunderstood, vulnerable and often find themselves entering into the criminal justice system, homelessness as well as their mental health problems becoming significantly worse.
The cost on an individual suffering from mental health with no support can be their life, as the pain with living with it is too much leading to suicide or self harm.
We need to all take responsibility and realise that no one chooses to have mental health issues, we are all humans living together in the world and in the 21st century we seem to have gone backwards in support not through lack of knowledge and ignorance but now because of lack of funding and lack of care and compassion.
Projects such as The Haven offer a lifeline, they are making a difference to mental health in the UK. They need to be given additional funding not be stripped of it.
Closure would have an enormous detrimental impact on everyone not just the service users.
Because I too have struggled with mental issues for most of my life and know why it is important to have places like the Haven Project in Colchester to support people in their times of need.
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BBC Look East, Kim Riley came to do a report on The Haven Project losing vital funding, It was aired 11/12/14.
To view the report follow the Link :-) It's about 6 mins 30 secs into the news. Happy viewing!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04tc505/look-east-east-11122014
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From: Haigh Rex (BERKSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST) [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 29 November 2014 17:51
To: Reg McKenna
Cc: Nick Benefield ([email protected])
Subject: RE: The Haven Project
Dear Reg
As the Clinical Advisor to the DH’s National PD programme which commissioned the Haven project, I am shocked to hear of the current situation.
I would like to offer a few facts in support of the continuation of your unique and innovative programme:
• The Haven uses a clinical model which met all the requirements of a modern PD specialist service:
o inclusive (as in ‘No Longer a Diagnosis of Exclusion’);
o service user coproduced (as in, and better than, ‘no decision about me with me’)
o working preventatively across NHS and third sector commissioning (as in the best qualified provider)
• Furthermore, over the 10 years since the project was founded, The Haven produced the best regular outcome data of any of the eleven pilot projects, which so clearly demonstrated:
o that people’s lives were genuinely transformed by the therapy programme
o very significant reduction in PD admissions to the local NHS psychiatric inpatient wards
o pathways into education and work for graduates of the programme
• Because you were unique in being a non-NHS provider (as a Community Interest Company), this afforded exceptional opportunities for genuine and robust service user involvement, which provided a beacon of best practice for the other pilot services in our learning network.
• Without facilities such as The Haven, people with severe PD will go back to being marginalised, excluded and with no access to appropriate clinical provision. Where England once had an opportunity to lead the world in suitably tailored provision for severely disadvantaged and mentally disabled patients, we are now in danger of returning to the dearth of suitable services which existed before the government published ‘No Longer a Diagnosis of Exclusion’. This would be a travesty of social justice.
With all best wishes for the campaign
Rex
Dr Rex Haigh MA (Cantab) BM BCh (Oxon) DRCOG MRCGP FRCPsych MembInst GA
Consultant Psychiatrist in Medical Psychotherapy, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Clinical Advisor, National PD Development Programme, 2003-2011
Project Lead, Enabling Environments, Royal College of Psychiatrists Centre for Quality Improvement
Chair, Growing Better Lives CIC and Living and Learning
Medical Director, Khiron House
Senior Fellow, Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham
[email protected]
07768 546963
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The government has announced it will be spending 1.6 billion in new money . It has also acknowledged that mental health needs parity with physical health.
The Haven saves lives and money. This weekend alone it is likely that a serious crime was prevented, that a life was saved and that more than one admission was prevented.This is building lives, this is building health this is money well spent!!! Decision-makers! Be seen to be proactive, to be planning and saving money now and in the long term. Be electable. Save the Haven.
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What it's like getting help. By Rolfina Scarfe aged 72
Knock, Knock.
Sorry, but I can't help you
Knock, Knock.
Sorry, but it's out of my hands.
Knock, Knock.
Sorry, I'm really sorry, but there's nothing I can do.
Knock, Knock.
Sorry, it's not my department.
Knock, Knock.
Sorry, I'm no position to help you.
Knock, Knock.
Go away.
Knock, Knock.
I'll see what I can do, but I doubt if I can help.
Knock, Knock.
I'm not here for you.I'm here for the carer.
Knock, Knock.
Knock, knock.
I'm very sorry, but I can't do anything without my
Supervisor''s permission.
Knock, Knock.
Sorry, but I'm not qualified enough to help you. Sorry.
Knock, knock.
GO AWAY, we understand but GO AWAY.
Knock, Knock.
"Will you help Paul'?
No. Nothing to do with me.
Knock, Knock.
A smiling face.
Nice to see you. Come in.
Yes, we can and will help you.
A new and better life opened up.
I've arrived at a very, very, very, very special place.THE HAVEN. The best and safest place in the world and so much more. A sense of belonging. It's a lifeline for me and many other clients too.
PLEASE HELP.
Please help us today to save the Haven. We are frightened and desperate about the Haven closing, to a future without help and support (and beds). All of us are scared and there are many of us.
Please, Please will you help?
I beg of you.
Thank you,
Rolfina Scarfe.
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We badly need financial support as we have lost vital funding for The Haven Project to continue.
When you donate to The Haven Project
You will save someone from self-harming,
You might even save their life.
You will help them create better families,
Better education and employment futures.
£10.00 is a compassionate call at night for 30 minutes to settle someone and prevent risky behaviours.
£50.00 is a day out to build confidence for training and jobs.
£100.00 respite bed for those in crisis, to give extra support .
Choose Life,
Choose prevention,
Choose The Haven.
Help Laura & Julie raise £2,500 by making a donation.
DONATE NOW
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The North East Essex CCG has decided not to fund the Haven Project which treats and supports people with the diagnosis of Personality Disorder (86% of whom have suffered childhood abuse).
This is despite impressive figures showing that on average Haven clients reduce attendance at A&E and acute wards by more than 80%; have a suicide rate of less than 1 % over ten years (300 clients) compared with a national average of 8-10% according to Royal College of Psychiatry figures. Should Haven clients revert to the national average suicide figures an additional 14-18 people will be committing suicide in the next year following Haven closure. The Haven saves the NHS more than £800,000 per year after deduction of project costs !
The CCG decision has come against a background of government guidance to the Clinical Commissioning Groups that if they fail to cap unplanned admissions “The biggest driver of cost in the NHS” their future funding might be withheld. The cost of just 10% of Haven clients needing unplanned admissions for 28 day assessment @£278 per night per bed (most recent Trust figures )would amount to £120,892 and we asked the CCG for £114,000.
The Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies said recently that mental health needed sufficient funding if the problems were to be addressed. We have contacted her describing what is occurring here. In her reply to our letter explaining the situation she said that …”the project has been doing some exceptional work. (13.10.14) The Chief Constable’s office replied that “The Chief Constable is very supportive of the important service you provide in helping to reduce reoffending rates in Essex…”
Rosanna Dooley, a client, has started a petition, which within about seven weeks have more than 2,500 signatures and ranging from Hull, to Plymouth and from Birmingham to Harwich. Internationally signatures came from India, Australia and Canada.
We are providing a crucial service which in the words of one commentator is the gold standard for Personality Disorder Services. The lead Consultant Psychiatrist Beta Paskova, at the Cambridge Severe Personality Disorder unit commented that “it is one of the best treatment options for Personality Disorder …. And that is would be unethical to fail to fund it …”
In the recent “Guidance for Commissioners of Specialist Community Mental Health Services”, July 2013 the Haven is mentioned at length as an example of best practice. But this has been ignored.
NICE guidelines quotes best practice in the treatment of Personality Disorders that fit the Haven at almost every point. The NICE guidance too seems to have been ignored as well.
If, on the other hand, the government means that there is no health without mental health now is a good time to put their money where their mouth is.
Please contact Pernille Petersen MBE, CEO of the Haven Project on 01206 287316 or [email protected] or on 07742 176175.
m/save-the-haven-project-colchester-england .
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I was referred to The Haven project after several times on a section3 in psychiatric hospitals . I was out of control. I was severely suicidal and felt that I did not belong in this world at all. I felt I did not fit in anywhere. I felt like a number, unloved and just a person existing . I had no skills to help my diagnosis, until The Haven came along.
I was petrified meeting new people for a long time, but after a while ,they became beloved faces.
Trust was a big issue and through The Haven, I learnt to trust in people, especially authority figures.
PLEASE help The Haven project as they REALLY have saved my life and are a HUGE help and lifeline in recovery.
Ally x
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I’m sitting reflecting on how I have benefited from The Haven Project, although to be truly honest I have had my fair share of up’s and down’s along with many struggles to engage with The Haven because of varying factors (Probably because I have PD). I am thinking about what will stay with me and although I may feel like I've had bad experiences with The Haven (Weather this is me being delusional or weather its reality) I am aware that they have stayed by my side no matter how much I have tried to push them away, no matter how much I have struggled to accept their help and no matter how much I have insisted nobody can help me. Saying that, don’t get me wrong, it hasn't been bad,(maybe i have said it wrong) but they have supported me when I have been in great need of support, even when I haven’t realized it.
I as many others have massive trust issues but over a long period of time although maybe I don’t like to admit it, I think if I’m honest I have learnt to trust The Haven Project to a degree that I’m comfortable with. But the fact that I have allowed that trust to develop to the degree it has, I have to say it even amazes me when I really think about it, because everything is always a constant battle, and I have to fight my demons to allow any growth, I can assure you this is not an easy battle to fight.
Although there are many positives such as having a dedicated focus worker on a weekly basis and having access to crisis beds when required not to mention the 24/7 crisis line and text phone.
I think what has helped me and what I think about often (Probably on a daily basis) which has helped change my thought process (and I analyse everything) i am changing my outlook on life (slowly) which I still struggle with, I don’t think I am anywhere near to having a full understanding of myself but I am prepared to practice and work on this, i am trying to find out what my values are in life and gain a purpose.
One memory that I had nightmares over! Was my experience with The Chinese Finger Trap! Which a member of staff (aka..Superstar sue) gave me one early morning, I wasn't in a good place and I wasn't interested in what she was telling me about it, but she gave me the finger trap when i was in the garden, when i was in a crisis bed and that morning I was feeling angry. I took the finger trap to my room still not understanding its purpose because I wasn't open to change, and to be brutally honest I thought it was bullsh*t (Sorry!) Anyway I was getting more worked up while in the bedroom, so I thought I would try the finger trap out, even though I hadn't given any attention to what I was told about it.
I got stuck in the finger trap! I was angry beforehand! But putting my fingers into the finger trap and fighting my thoughts so much, I struggled to get unstuck from the finger trap, my anger increased! What made it worse was the bedroom door had a door handle and also a Yale (key) lock, so I needed two hands to open the door, but because my fingers where trapped in the finger trap, (because I was struggling so much) I couldn't use two hands, which was increasing my anger! But by struggling using my elbows, knees, leg and chin I somehow got out! I was absolutely furious at this stage, I went down stairs and I was pacing up and down adamant that I wasn't going to ask for help to release my fingers from the finger trap. In the end I did knock on the door, raging demanding for the finger trap to be removed! I remember Sue trying to explain that it had worked and that it was because I was fighting things so much, as I walked off down the hall after it had been removed I was shouting at her that it wasn't F**king funny! (Ops, sorry!)
I wouldn't touch it for about a week! But I told people about it and they were intrigued, when I finally calmed down about it, I started to pay attention and understand the concept behind it, and to this day I still use a Chinese finger trap and I now also use them at work with clients, it just makes so much sense to me and it also benefits other people. At the time I wouldn't of said it was a very good experience but the way it has helped me change my thought process and see things in a different way, words cannot explain, but I can assure you that it is positive! Sometimes this is hard to keep in mind.
Here is a link to a you tube video to try and help you understand the finger trap, but I don’t think this video gives it justice (sorry) but I hope it will help you understand what I’m talking about.
http://youtu.be/SoiLfmmUfcY
I am aware that i am rambling so i am going to try and be brief but i have also benefited or i should say can see the benefit from a book that was recommend to me called "The Reality slap" by Russ Harris, although i still haven't read it all, it makes so much sense to me and it is still sinking in after all this time. (I know this is something i should start reading again :-/ )
Also i became absolutely obsessed by the passengers on the bus metaphor!! Although once again i wasn't open to change or trying anything different, again at first i thought it was a load of bulls*ht (Sorry!) but the more i watched it, the more i understood it, and once again i refer to it often on a personal level and i also use it at work with clients, who also benefit from it. check it out on:
http://youtu.be/Z29ptSuoWRc
I have also started Mindfulness this year, although once again this has been a struggle at times but i can understand the benefits of it, sometimes it helps me more than others but i am aware this will take practice.
I wouldn't know about any of these things if it wasn't for The Haven Project and although i still have my struggles and they don't always work, it's changed my thinking so much. The ongoing support despite my resilience is not going to be replaceable. The whole staff team are so dedicated and supportive. The haven have given me lots of other support and kept me out of hospital. The few things i have highlighted are the things i wanted to share but i can assure you the support the haven provide is endless!
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"Crying For No Reason"
I push all my problems to the back of my mind
Then they surface in my dreams, they come alive
I sweep all my issues to somewhere I can't find
In hope that I'll forget but there's just so many times
Why can't I be strong and just confront all my fears?
When my fear is hurting you by being sincere
But how many more days can I run? How many years?
Emotions flooding and now it's all seeming so clear
Crying for no reason, feel the tears roll down
I felt strong but am I breaking now?
Crying for no reason 'cause I buried it deep
I made promises I could not keep
'Cause I never faced all the pain I caused
Now the pain is hitting me full force
I push all my problems to the back of my brain
A darkness deep inside where I just can't find my way
How can I walk with a smile? Get on with my day
When I deceived myself pretending it's all okay
I tried my best to hold it all together, I know
The strings have worn away and now I'm all exposed
I try to hide it all away on top of the shelf
I can lie to everyone but not to myself
Crying for no reason feel the tears roll down
I felt strong but am I breaking down?
Crying for no reason 'cause I buried it deep
I made promises I could not keep
'Cause I never faced all the pain I caused
Now the pain is hitting me full force
Forgive me now 'cause I said that I'll be there for you, care for you
I let you down, I walked away
'Cause there were things I couldn't say to you, say to you
I'm breaking now
[x2:]
I burned some bridges down
There must be some way out
The voices speak so loud
Will you forgive me now?
Crying for no reason, feel the tears roll down
I felt strong but am I breaking now?
Crying for no reason 'cause I buried it deep
I made promises I could not keep
'Cause I never faced all the pain I caused
Now the pain is hitting me full force
This song say's it all.
Listen to Katy B crying for no reason here:
http://youtu.be/SoyhSQgmRLo
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