Can't sleep for worrying, just put pen to paper, I feel very passionate about this, it's not for me, I don't really matter but others do. I am articulate and can put pen to paper but mentally and physically life for me somehow is insignificant. Heather I am writing this as a mental health sufferer on behalf of those who like me are from the generations that hide behind the word ' I'm ok ' but behind closed doors are not, we were brought up to sort our own problems out and there was no such thing as councelling when things went wrong, you just got on with it. It's only just in recent years attitudes to Mental Health issues are being recognised and the consequences of neglect over the years coming to fruition. In my early teens to cite an example, I was sexually assaulted on my way home from school, a friend was with me and rescued me. My parents attitude was 'what did you do to deserve it'. Thankfully my friends parents called the Police out and it just so happened that many people had been attacked at night and we were the first ones to see the perpetrator in daylight. After a few weeks of being taken out by the police to different places, he was caught, a 13year old Grammar school boy. No one ever spoke to me about this and I received no support, that was how life was until recently. This is where the Mind Mental Health Helpline has proved to be a very necessary and needed service. They are made up of highly trained staff, who can listen,diffuse many a situation but at the same time triage and refer where needed, thus saving GPs, A& E departments & 999 services unnecessary costs and workload that they can't afford to take on, for a drop in the OCEAN of £10,000 a month in real terms. The Samaritans as good as they are are only a listening line, they keep no notes, have no real knowledge of mental health issues unlike the MIND HELPLINE,who know their service users and the ones in real need. There has been a lot of media coverage just lately to make people aware of the need to help the younger generation to overcome mental illness and prevention of it. For which funds are being allocated. It is a sad fact of the pace of life and the ways of the world these days. There is a big gap and lack of funding for adult services, they have been cut to the bone, it now goes under the guise of care in the community but there is none. What mental health staff are left are run ragged, underfunded, have nothing to put in place but to refer to Social Services for the patient to get a personal budget to buy their own treatment. Sadly in this area of the country we come under the jurisdiction of the NSFT & CCGs of which there are 5?? They don't seem to be able to agree on how best to allocate the funding of services and Mental Health gets swept under the carpet. We all know that the NSFT ARE IN SPECIAL MEASURES THE ONLY ONES IN THE COUNTRY & HAVE THE HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE INTO THE BARGAIN. The Mind line was set up as a pilot scheme that proved to work and be cost effective but six months ago it was only saved after an outcry by service users etc to now find itself in the same situation having to fight for survival when the facts and figures add up for it to be continued on a permanent basis in conjunction with the mental health service in the area. In the midst of all this two members of the CCGs happily announced their huge pay rise and another two of the CCGs announced they had a vast amount of cash to carry over into the next financial year, only 2% of that would be needed to refund The Mind Line for 12 months. The Mind Line should be permanent and treated as part of the NHS mental health service as it is in an other county. The NSFT announced that we had a 24 hour service in the guise of Wellbeing but it is not open to the more serious mental health patients, I should know having been accessed and deemed to ill for them to treat and passed on to the CMHT & recently the FACT. Service users have been and are being short changed by the NSFT and CCGs. It like giving a child toys on Christmas Day and returning them to the shop on Boxing Day!!! Surely the NSFT & CCGs can't pass us back to the old system of ringing the crisis line to either get an answer machine that told you to leave your name and number, for you never to be contacted again or if you were lucky enough to get through 'have a cup of coffee' ' read a book' ' have a bath '. My change.org petition has nearly 7,000 signature and comments from people from all walks of life. It is being signed by people from other parts of the country. We had a meeting at Open in Norwich, representatives from NSFT, The CEO of Mind, Amanda Hedley, plus the Mind line team leader, Carers, and of course service users, many of whom had long journeys and were stressed by the situation. Conspicuous by their absence were the CCGs!!!! Marcus Hayward from the NSFT made it clear they would not refund the Line despite being presentedx with facts and figures that proved its worth and need and being asked to by service users. THEY WOULD RATHER HAVE MORE SUICIDES ON THEIR HANDS. The Norwich mp Chloe Smith has backed the line, as has George Freeman. Chloe Smith has arranged another meeting with herself, Norman Lamb mp, the NSFT,CCGs & Mind on the 17th March in the afternoon. I have asked to be allowed to attend to represent the Service Users. Everything these days seems to be about having meetings to discuss meetings,The fact of the matter is that these all cost vast amounts of money that could be spent on the Mental Health Service ie. THE MIND Mental Health Helpline. I would ask that everyone involved in this decision as to whether the Mind Line be continued PLEASE PLEASE LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE, TAKE NOTE OF THE COVERAGE AND SUPPORT BY THE EDP, MPs, The change.org petition and comments and first and foremost those with Mental Health problems who need this service. MENTAL HEALTH IS A SILENT DEADLY ILLNESS AND KILLER. Heather Edmondson ( on behalf of all the regions service users ) Litcham