The Lantern Project counselling contract with Wirral CCG does seem to have been cancelled.

Someone named Jay Eastwood last Friday (4th December 2015) tweeted this question to NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group: “Are public funds & vulnerable patients currently being directed to Lantern Project?” Wirral CCG very helpfully replied: “(We) will respond via our website to this on Monday 7th December.”

I’m looking forward to reading what appears there. Wirral CCG is a statutory body and has to get this right.

Meanwhile I have learned some key information from a reliable source which is that a contract between Wirral CCG and The Lantern Project has been terminated. This contract was to provide counselling and psychotherapy to victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse and domestic violence. 

  

This contract was originally established between The Lantern Trust and Wirral Primary Care Trust (PCT) in 2012 prior to the CCG taking over as a statutory organisation on 1 April 2013. 

The contract was reviewed. It failed to pass the test of being evidence-based. It used unqualified counsellors. The governance system and processes within the organisation did not meet requirements.   

The contract with The Lantern Project was terminated. Patients will be transferred to alternative services.

My historic journalistic interest in topics such as this is to do with the governance of research into medical matters, especially with under-age and vulnerable patients. I’m still waiting for information from a university where a project does appear to have been underway using information from the above mentioned patients.

Do check the Charity Commission accounts and look at the cash flow for The Lantern Project.

I will keep you posted.