MSP urges locals to have their say at Mulberry meetings

MSP Mairi Gougeon has urged her Angus North and Mearns constituents to make their voices heard in the fight to save the Mulberry adult mental health unit.

With NHS Tayside in the midst of a three-month consultation over the future of the facility, part of the £20 million Susan carnegie centre opened just six years ago, Mrs Gougeon is keen to ensure that local concerns over the feared threat to the ward are met.

She will host three separate Mulberry events in Brechin, Montrose and Forfar early next month, to assist anyone with details on how to take part in the official consultation which ends on Tuesday October 3.

The MSP said: “It’s absolutely critical that anyone with any opinions or concerns over the future of the Mulberry unit come forward now and speak up.

“We don’t have any time left. I don’t want anyone who supports the retention of the Mulberry unit to have any regrets.

“I know from the contact I’ve had with constituents in Angus that people do not want Mulberry unit closing.

“But I also understand why some people may not have taken part in the consultation yet.

“Some people find consultations daunting, others are unaware that a consultation is even taking place and others just don’t know how to take part.

“Anyone who cannot make my consultation events can contact me on phone, email or arrange to meet me.

“I’ve made it clear from day one that I want to keep this crucial mental health facility local to people of Angus and I’m not going to give up the fight to save it yet.”

Her motion to Angus Council to retain the Mulberry unit in 2016 was unanimously agreed.

Her consultation events will take place on September 2 at Brechin City Hall (10.30am to 12.30am) and Montrose Leisure Centre (1.30pm to 3pm) and September 9 at Forfar Guide Hall (10.30am to noon).

The consultation is online at http://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/ OurServicesA-Z/MentalHealthServiceRedesignTransformationProgramme/index.htm. to see the