A BURY man wants the Local Government Ombudsman to back his crusade to force social services bosses to consult widely with the borough's mental health sufferers.

Mr Don Mills has been waging a four-year campaign with social services and the local health authority in a bid to win greater consultation and representation for the area's 4,000 patients and ex-patients.

He wants the Ombudsman to intervene after a damning report on Bury Council's social services department by the Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate.

Mr Mills is founder and chairman of Bury's Mental Health Services, Bury, Combined User Voice Group.

Since 1994, he has been pressing for mental health sufferers to be given a real and positive input into the way the service is shaped in Bury.

And he feels the recent critical report surrounding social services' activities adds greater weight to his campaign.

In the document, social services bosses were urged to develop strategies in consultation with other agencies and with users and carers. And the report also stated users and carers had expressed "considerable frustration" at the authority's "perceived inability or unwillingness to respond to their criticisms or suggestions, including those expressed at the various consultative forums."

Following the publication of the report, Mr Mills' own team carried out a survey involving a representative cross-section of 412 mental health service users.

He said: "A large proportion of those living in the community will have nothing to do with social services.

"A small percentage of social services staff really care. A few work very hard. However, morale is abysmal."

Mr Mills claimed social services management were against user involvement, contrary to national trends and Government directives.

In 1996 the then department director Mr David Ashworth said: "I want some move towards consultation on an equal partnership basis."

But Mr Mills said: "That hasn't happened, despite the promises."

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