HOSPITAL bosses overseeing a transfer of mental health services from south Cumbria to Lancashire have been rapped for failing to explain the switch to local people.

From October 1, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust takes charge of mental health and learning disability services from the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

It will mean a range of services provided to children, adolescents and adults in  Barrow and Kendal will change trust – although staff and premises remain the same.

Lancashire Care directors Jo Moore and Mark Hindle appeared before Cumbria’s health scrutiny committee on Thursday to update county councillors about the transfer, which will be live in 10 weeks time.

Ulverston councillor Mark Wilson branded the briefing ‘outdated and lightweight’ – and that it lacked reassurances that services would improve.

Cllr Wilson told the directors: “I’m disappointed by what you have done and who you have spoken to. We are constantly disappointed by the drift in this. I am stopped in the street by people crying out for help with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and wondering what the hell is happening with eating disorder services.”

Cllr Wilson said councillors should have been more involved to keep people in Barrow and South Lakeland in the loop.

“Everyone needs to be made aware that something big is happening here and it’s not happening quite as well or at the same speed as in the north of the county,” said Cllr Wilson, the Labour member for Ulverston East.

“I would suggest this is a lightweight paper and should include many more timelines for improvement.”

Mrs Moore, the director for partnerships and strategy at Lancashire Care, said she took his comments on board but said there had been ‘some’ engagement with service users, carers and families.

She told councillors: “Part of us coming here today is to open up the conversation and make connections. I will gladly take that away and come back and talk to you. That’s not a problem at all. Engagement is an ongoing piece of work for us and absolutely we will take up that offer.”

Mrs Moore pledged that the Lancashire trust had a “comprehensive improvement plan” for services which would be shared at a later date. The trust had also won extra money to improve services, she added.

The meeting heard there were no “quick fixes” to some of the problems such as long waiting times, staff shortages and recruitment issues.

Mr Hindle, the programme director, told the meeting he was happy to work more closely with councillors and to be held to account by the committee.

However, he called Cllr Wilson comments a “bit unfair”.

Mr Hindle said: “We have done extensive consultation discussion recently. I also think we have to get the basics right first – get to safe staffing levels and ensure the places we provide care from are safe to provide care from. If you can give us some ins into your network, we will gladly take them up.”

Around 400 CPFT staff will switch over to Lancashire Care, which employs 6,800 people. Months of engagement had taken place with CPFT staff along with groups like Mind and Healthwatch Cumbria, the meeting heard.