IF WE are to believe the word of the former Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust, then there must be grave concern about the future of the services it is going to provide.

The Oxford Mail obtained documents which show a series of planned cuts — most importantly 20 per cent from services over the next five years.

These will start to be implemented from April — yes the month which starts in two weeks.

Yet when the organisation — which has changed its name to Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust — was asked, not unreasonably, for details of the cuts and their anticipated effect on patients, we were told it was “still working on it”.

So if we understand this: the first steps of millions of pounds to be slashed out services for the mentally ill will begin in 14 days and this public organisation (which by the way trumpets one of its key standards is openness and transparency) still hasn’t got a final plan.

Like all public sector organisations, there is a need for cuts to be made.

But if Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is telling the truth, how confident can we be of its ability to provide valuable services for the vulnerable?