MP's seal of approval for residential home

MP Oliver Heald has praised a residential home for people with learning disabilities for its "high quality provision". His comment came during a visit to meet staff and service users at Brickfield Cottage in Buntingford. The home provides a safe and secure environment for six people with learning disabilities and challenging needs. Mr Heald, the MP for North East Herts, looked around the home and discussed the work of Turning Point, a leading social care organisation. The visit was part of a national campaign by Turning Point to highlight its work. Mr Heald, who has previously visited a Turning Point project in London, said: "Turning Point is a leader in social care. I have previously seen the work it does for those affected by substance misuse and mental health problems. "This was an opportunity to see their work with the learning disabled in the constituency." He said Brickfield Cottage was "a very impressive high quality provision". "I have always been a strong advocate for the role of the voluntary sector in social care, and this confirms my views." Emily Frith of Turning Point, said: "Mr Heald was interested in what we do. "Staff at Brickfield Cottage explained the value of the service and the fact that people with disability are constituents like anyone else in the area." - Mr Heald said he was concerned about a 5 per cent cut in spending on mental health in the county, and has written to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt calling for action to protect the mentally ill. He said: "I have always taken a great interest in mental health and have been shocked over the years by the low priority that it has been given. "The Government promised that it would be a top priority, yet all over the country we see substantial cuts proposed in mental health services. "This is an outrage and I have asked the minister to take action to protect the mentally ill and their relatives.