Council says sorry for 'nutty' insult

04 August 2006 08:15

Norfolk mental health bosses have condemned a pair of the county's leading politicians for describing sufferers as “mental” and “nutty”.

Stunned directors of the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership Trust were left speechless as guffawing chairman of Breckland Council Roy Rudling responded to its presentation yesterday by saying: “So 25 per cent of us are nutty”.

Councillor Rudling's comments during Breckland's full council meeting closely followed remarks by councillor Earl Cathcart who on being told that anyone in Norfolk was eligible to become a trust member said: “Even if they are mental”.

Breckland Council was forced dash off a hasty letter of apology to the mental health trust following the meeting distancing themselves from the comments.

The trust's director of nursing Linda Phillips said she was appalled by the outbursts and that the directors would be reporting back to its board to discuss whether to take further action.

She said: “I was really dismayed to hear these discriminatory comments. Twenty five per cent of the population have mental health problems and to hear them being referred to by councillors as nutty and some of them treating it as a joke, it was quite amazing.

“I thought we had a long way to go with educating the general public but clearly we have got to start with the councillors. There will be people in that room who are being treated for mental health problems listening to their colleagues talking about it in this way.

“If it was a race issue nobody in that room would have dared to have talked about it like that.”

Director of mental health at the trust Pat Keown said: “It is very saddening that people in a position of such influence have such a limited experience of what we are trying to achieve.”

Shelia Preston's son suffers from schizophrenia and she is chairman of the trust's patient and public involvement forum.

She said: “I am absolutely disgusted that people in public office should be able to mock the most vulnerable members of our society who they represent. They are living in the past, it's comments like this that is making it difficult to achieve social inclusion for people who are mentally ill.”

The remarks came during a presentation by the mental health trust's associate director Rachel Newson about the trust being granted foundation status next April.

She told the meeting: “One in four people live their lives with a mental health problem, people live with things like depression and anxiety, things that do not threaten lives but do inhibit them.”

Councillor Earl Cathcart said: “That's life, that's part of the up's and down's."

Mrs Newson went onto describe the benefits of becoming a member of the trust. “Anyone who lives in Norfolk is entitled to become a member,” she said.

To which councillor Cathcart said: “Even if they are mental.”

Clearly amused Mr Rudling's remark “So 25 per cent of us are nutty then” came at the end of the presentation while Mrs Newson stood silently looking embarrassed.

Director of marketing and communication at Breckland Council Mary Palmer said: “We are going to send a letter of apology to the trust this afternoon.

“We apologise if any offence was caused and we emphasise that it does not reflect the views of the council as a whole.

“We are very supportive of people with mental health problems and all our staff and members have had equality training.”

Speaking after the meeting councillor Cathcart said he could not recall using the term “mental” and said he had no prejudice against people suffering from mental illness.

“Those people with genuine mental health illnesses need help and anything to improve that is a good thing,” he said.

The trust is responsible for delivering mental health and social care across Norfolk, apart from the west of the county.

Mr Rudling was not available for comment following the meeting.

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