Care versus costs debate

Published on 22nd March 2007 in News

Suggestions that a mental health unit in Goole could close have prompted criticism from a local charity and from politicians.

Last week, the Goole Times reported one carer's fears that the ten-bed Bartholomew House could be closed as part of a review of mental health services.

Asked about the proposals, a spokesperson for Humber Mental Health said a consultation would be launched in the next few weeks.

Lesley Saunders, secretary of Headway, the Brain Injury Association, said: "There is a growing trend to move patients out of hospitals and residential facilities as soon as possible but there are not sufficient community teams to provide a structured safety net of care across the region."

Prospective Goole MP Andrew Percy also attacked the possibility of closure, saying: "Just a few months ago we saw the closure of the Rivers Ward at Goole Hospital which provided in-patient care for elderly patients suffering mental health problems.

"It now looks as though the Bartholomew House unit could also be closed, meaning that there will be no mental health in-patient facility in Goole.

"The loss of the Rivers Ward now means that the nearest facility for elderly mental health patients is on the edge of Hull, in Cottingham.

"The Government continues to use 'care close to home' as its watchword, yet in the East Riding, care is being moved further and further away."

Mr Percy said that while he was in favour of parents being treated in their own homes, that kind of care was not always suitable.

"I fear that the word 'modernisation' is being used as an excuse to simply close wards and save money."

Mr Percy plans to write to Humber Mental Trust to ask whether the proposal will save money in the long term.

"We must be very careful to ensure that money is not the driving force behind the proposed changes."

Meanwhile, Howden MP David Davis said the proposal to reduce services will come as a shock to many and urged residents to make heir views known when consultation starts.

A spokesperson for Humberside Mental Health said that the point of the consultation, which will begin shortly, will be to discover what is best for local people.

* See letter, Page Six.