Tom Gordon MP demands urgent action and inquiry into failing mental health trust

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has used his first ever Prime Minister’s
Question to demand urgent action over the failures of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS
Foundation Trust (TEWV).

Tom spoke out in Parliament after hearing growing numbers of distressing accounts from
local people failed by the trust, including families who have tragically lost loved ones while
under its care.

These heart breaking stories are not isolated. MPs across the North East and North
Yorkshire have raised similar concerns, pointing to a deep and dangerous crisis in how the
trust is run.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Tom exposed the scale of the problem: patients from
Harrogate and Knaresborough are being sent as far away as York, Middlesbrough, or even
hundreds of miles to Glasgow and Southampton, because of a lack of local beds.

He branded the situation “completely unacceptable” and warned of the devastating impact
on vulnerable people and their families.

Tom told the Prime Minister that this isn’t just a service under strain, it’s a service that’s
fundamentally broken. While he welcomed the Prime Minister’s openness to an inquiry, he
warned that families cannot afford to wait months or years for change.

He urged the Government and the Health Secretary to take immediate steps to stop further
harm and to start rebuilding public confidence in mental health services across the region.

Tom is committed to keep up the pressure, working with MPs across all parties to secure
justice for those failed and to protect others from suffering the same fate.

Commenting, Tom said:

“No one should be sent hundreds of miles from home in the middle of a mental health crisis,
but that’s the reality for too many in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

This isn’t just a service under pressure; it’s one that’s fundamentally broken. TEWV has
been letting families down for far too long, and the Government must step in now to stop
further harm.

An inquiry may come, but families can’t wait. They need action now, and I’ll keep fighting
alongside MPs from all parties to make sure they get it.”