Save Springboard!

Three months ago I wrote about Springboard - a local NHS service providing employment and training for people recovering from mental health problems and people with learning disabilities.

My concern then, as now, is that this vital service could be lost. Local NHS cuts are hitting mental health particularly hard, and Springboard, based at Tolworth Hospital, has been targeted.

While an official consultation is now underway about whether or not to close Springboard, the omens do not look good. 

So I’ve been meeting with a range of local people – from Springboard staff, users and carers themselves to representatives of local charities who share my concerns – including Fircroft Trust, Kingston Voluntary Action, Twining Enterprise and Kingston Mind.

We’ve formed an action group, in case the consultation goes against us, and have begun work on a business plan – to see if we could make Springboard viable in the charitable sector if the NHS withdraws.

Last week we had some early good news, when it was confirmed we had won some free consultancy from The Cranfield Trust – an independent charity formed by people from Cranfield University.

Our initial work suggests that if the NHS provided us with the existing buildings for a peppercorn rent, the costs of running Springboard could be dramatically reduced by remodeling current services. My best guess is that Springboard would still need some assistance – but nothing compared to the current level of subsidy.

Yet I’m determined that if this service must find a future on its own, it should be a secure, sustainable one, based on robust, professional analysis. With the Cranfield Trust’s project consultant joining us soon, there must be some hope of testing this idea before the NHS pulls the plug.