Published: 13/01/2005, Volume II5, No. 5938 Page 7
The country's largest mental health helpline is closing two of its helpline centres after the Department of Health delayed a£1m payment for 10 months.
And Saneline, run by the charity Sane, said the cutbacks would mean many bereaved families and friends of tsunami victims would be unable to access telephone counselling.
The service is anticipating an influx of calls in the next two to three months following the disaster in south-east Asia.
Sane chief executive Marjorie Wallace defended the decision to axe 127 trained volunteers and 13 full-time workers, saying the charity had been 'running on empty' for the last 10 months.
The two-year contract for Saneline ends in March.
Ms Wallace said: 'We had a twoyear contract with the DoH to provide Saneline as a necessary part of the health service...and for this financial year we have not yet received any of the monies due to run the service.' Saneline deals with 1,000 calls a week, but about 12,000 people try to get through.
Ms Wallace said: 'What happens with disasters - and we found with the twin towers [on 9/11] - is that after about two or three months people start to feel the psychological aftermath...we are there to listen to families or anyone whose memories are revived.' A DoH spokeswoman said it would be paying the£1m owed this week, but Ms Wallace said it was now 'too late'.
The charity's offices in Bristol and Macclesfield will close at the end of March, leaving just one in London.
Ms Wallace said the charity's ability to seek funding for the period after the DoH contract ends had been 'crippled' by the lateness of the DoH payment this year.
The chief executive explained: 'The reason we cannot continue to fund Bristol and Macclesfield is because we have had this growing deficit in our accounts.' She added: 'Our accounts cannot be signed off and we cannot go for alternative funding for next year because nobody will fund an organisation that has got a deficit.'
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