Taking up the fight over mental health unit threat

Published on 7th June 2007 in News

As of today, Thursday, specimen letters supporting the future of Bartholomew House in Goole will be available from the Goole Times offices.

The mental health service in Goole is currently under threat as Humber Mental Health has launched a public consultation on plans that could see it closing and patients sent to Mill View Lodge or Mill View Court at Castle Hill.

As part of a campaign to keep Bartholomew House open, Goole resident Sharon Whitehead has drawn up a draft letter supporting the service's future and is asking patients add their signatures to the letter to show support.

All you need to do is add your name, address and signature to the letter, if you agree that Bartholomew House should stay open, and send it to East Yorkshire Whole Systems, c/o Patient Experience Team, Humber Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust Headquarters, Willerby Hill, Beverley Road, Willerby, HU10 6ED, before the consultation period ends on June 25.

The letters are available from this newspaper's offices at 102 Boothferry Road.

Meanwhile, Andrew Percy, prospective Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole, has this week welcomed the decision of East Riding of Yorkshire Council's (ERYC) NHS Overview and Scrutiny Committee to reject both options put forward by the Humber Mental Health Trust for the re-organisation of mental health care in the region, which could result in the closure of the Bartholomew House unit.

Mr Percy recently met with councillors Ros Jump and Geraldine Mathieson, who sit on the committee, to explain his concern that the closure of the unit would mean that patients and their families in Goole would have to travel to Hull for in-patient care. With an average stay of three months, he said it was simply not acceptable to place patients so far away from their families.

"The Trust's proposals were rejected on the basis that the options offered were too limited," said Mr Percy.

"Both options would see the closure of the Bartholomew House Unit, with care being delivered by community teams in patient's homes. Whilst this is desirable in many cases, we need to ensure that there is in-patient care available locally in what is an unpredictable area of medicine.

"Cross-border mental health does not have the same flexibility as other areas of health care, with patients often being forced to remain within their Trust area.

"This is a particular problem for patients in the Goole area as there are facilities in North Yorkshire and the West Riding which could be more appropriate for patients in our area.

"This is another issue which needs addressing urgently and we need to make sure that facilities outside our area can be more easily accessed."

Conservative Howden MP David Davis added: "I continue to oppose the closure of this unit on the basis that it will be yet another reduction in mental health services locally.

"The government talks about bringing health care closer to the public, but the reality is very different."