Hunger strike ends after three weeks

A former soldier on the Isle of Wight has ended his hunger strike
in protest at the level of mental health care treatment available
on the island.

Mick Luckley, who was diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder in 1995,
was frustrated by the level of treatment available to people with
mental health problems and the cuts to services following the Isle
of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust’s efforts to tackle a £7m
deficit.

Luckley, who refused food for three weeks in order to raise
awareness, said before calling off his protest: “I feel there is
nothing that I can do to help except this.”

A spokesperson for the trust said: “Each of our services are
looking at how they work to see whether they can work more
efficiently without affecting the quality of care.”