WALKING to the shops or visiting friends are everyday activities most people take for granted, but for those living with a mental illness carrying out even the most mundane tasks can require a herculean effort.

For people like Katey J, 35, who suffers from treatment resistant severe bi-polar disorder, a form of depression characterised by periods of intense highs and severe lows, outpatient centres such as the town’s Taylor Centre have provided a lifeline in their darkest times.

But last week, South Essex Partnership NHS Trust, which provides mental heath services across south Essex, announced the Taylor Centre, in Queensway House, Essex Street, Southend, would be closed and relocated as part of cost-cutting measures, leaving patients like Katey deeply concerned about their wellbeing in the intervening period.

Artist Katey, who has been treated at the centre for three years, said: “It’s grossly irresponsible of the trust to announce it is closing the centre before it has a forward strategy where it can say ‘we are locating to here’.

“By the nature of mental health, dates, times and locations, are so important, and having that continuity is so fundamental to your wellbeing.

“Some people must be so distressed by this.”

Also closing as part of the cuts is Aston Court, Laindon, with the two closures affecting up to 300 jobs and thousands of patients across south Essex.

While services provided at Aston Court will be merged with the mental health unit at Basildon Hospital early next year, the future of provision in Southend remains uncertain until the trust finds new premises for the Taylor Centre.

Katey, who lives in central Southend, said: “I’ve been ill for three years and don’t like going out at all, and get dragged to the psychiatrist by my support worker and I deal with it, but it is hard to do. Even the upheaval of going to a different centre will be difficult.

“To hear it is closing without any other information made me panic, because all I could think was ‘where am I going to go?’ “Before you move home you buy a house, so it’s really simple to me.”

Katey feels the trust needs to more closely match the needs of people using its services to the help which is provided, citing the example of the switch from allowing patients to call staff at the centre directly for emergency support to the use of a call centre as an example of the mis-match she feels often occurs.

She said: “This is a number you call when you are feeling suicidal and I have been cut off, put on hold or transferred to a fax machine in the past. It’s just not good enough.

“With the call centre, they have taken away a lifeline which enabled you to speak to staff you know.

“When you are suicidal and sobbing on the floor it’s very difficult to even pick up the phone and voice your feelings.”

Katey’s experiences leave little doubt about the importance of the centre to patients living with mental health issues.

She said: “There are so many resources there, from drug and alcohol help to all kinds of occupational health resources. About 2,000 people go to the Taylor Centre, so it is really valuable.

“If you are in trouble and can get there, you can walk in and ask to see whoever it is you need. They have the ability to do that for you. It is immediate and is as good as the service can be, and I think the trust lets the centre down by making decisions like this.”

The trust has said it is still calculating the full scale of savings it will have to make, following the Government’s spending review, and said consultation with patients and staff will continue throughout this period.

Dr Patrick Geoghegan, trust chief executive, said administration staff would be relocated to Rochford until appropriate premises were found in central Southend.

He added: “I would like to provide reassurance clinical services at the Taylor Centre, in Southend, will continue to be provided and remain unaffected and service users should not be distressed by any rumours or speculation.

“Plans are progressing to identify alternative premises for these services which will ensure savings can be identified from lower estate costs without compromising the quality, safety or ease of access to services.

“Patient care and safety will not be compromised as a result and remain at the heart of everything South Essex Partnership Trust does.”

Dr Geoghegan added patients and staff would be immediately informed of any changes which would affect them.

He said: “Until plans are finalised, I can say it is very much business as usual and I will ensure the transition is managed as smoothly as possible with minimum disruption or distress to service users and staff affected.”