Lambeth campaigners fight to save south Asian mental health service (From Streatham Guardian)
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Lambeth campaigners fight to save south Asian mental health service
12:10pm Friday 23rd October 2009 in News
Campaigners want to see the Armadeep service saved
Campaigners fighting to save a drop-in service for members of the south Asian community with mental health problems demonstrated in Brixton on Tuesday.
The Save Amardeep campaigners, supported by Lambeth Mind and Southwark Mind, want to see the weekly drop-in service at the Effra Resource Centre reinstated after it was axed by South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) in 2007.
The drop-in was partially reopened in April 2009 but a recent SLaM report suggests the future of the Effra Centre itself is uncertain.
Last week Renuka Bhakta, of mental health charity Southwark Mind, met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and accepted the Sheila McKechnie Foundation Campaign award for London Social Justice on behalf of the “Save Lives, Save Amardeep Campaign”.
Campaigner Karim Patel said: “Winning the award has given a great boost to our campaign.
"Just when the future looks bleaker than ever, it is great to have the importance of our struggle recognised nationally.”
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