Anger at Mill Lodge hospital closure (From York Press)
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Anger at closure of Mill Lodge Hospital on Haxby road, York
10:21am Thursday 1st November 2012 in News
By Richard Catton, Health reporter
THE son of an elderly mental health patient says the planned closure of a York Hospital where she is being treated “is frightening for the future”.
Kenneth Fenwick’s 83-year-old mother is an in-patient at Mill Lodge, a hospital on Haxby Road run by Leeds and York Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust.
However, the hospital is set to close to patients under plans by the trust to concentrate on treating patients in their own homes.
Mr Fenwick, from Acomb, said: “If Mill Lodge goes it just doesn’t add up. I know they have to tighten up on money at the moment but Mill Lodge was set up with the purpose to look after people who couldn’t look after themselves in their own homes.
“The resources they have there are going to be put into looking after people in their own homes but that’s not going to be 24-hour.”
Mr Fenwick said his mother was in Mill Lodge due to dementia.
He fears she is unfit to return to her home in Haxby, where her elderly husband is also receiving care.
Mr Fenwick, 63, from Acomb, said: “I would be uncomfortable if she was alone in her own home. Even if she did improve and wasn’t as bad as she is now – she would still need help.”
A two-month public consultation ended yesterday.
While refusing to comment on individual cases, a spokesman for the trust said: “We would like to assure people using the service, their carers and families that each individual will be fully assessed before any decisions around their future treatment and care is made. We will work in conjunction with local partner organisations to develop individual care packages for anyone currently accessing the service who needs longer term care and support.
“People using Mill Lodge and their families and carers are aware they can approach us to discuss any concerns they have. We would like to repeat that we are keen to ensure people are not worrying unnecessarily.”
Meanwhile, York Hospital said it believed the closure of Mill Lodge would not have a significant impact on its own services.
A spokesman said: “The additional services put in place by Leeds and York Partnership are likely to improve local services and deliver more efficient and effective healthcare to patients.”
Comments(5)
Stan2Attention
says...
1:35pm Thu 1 Nov 12
In Northallerton, there have been mass demonstrations, speeches by the local MP (William Hague), petitions, mass media coverage, a call for the decision to be referred to the Secretary of State - you name it.
In York, the proposed closure of a unit caring for elderly mental health patients is greeted by almost total silence until this piece - so thank you to the Press and to Kenneth Fenwick for speaking out.
It's a real shame that mental health services attract so little public interest.
A Nother Nonny Mouse
says...
2:08pm Thu 1 Nov 12
eeoodares
says...
3:04pm Thu 1 Nov 12
only human
says...
5:21pm Thu 1 Nov 12
This is nothing but a cost cutting exercise on a massive scale right across the uk.
I know od poor old elderly folk who are left to just sit in the same armchair from the minute they get their allocated wake up call in the morning until they receive their bed call at night.
basically these people are no longer either physically or mentally or both able to cope with such tasks as getting out of bed,getting,washed,d
ressed,coking or feeding themselves or going to the toilet...They sit al day waiting for one carer to the next.Its a disgrace.
The whole system is a shambles.
perplexed says...
11:44am Thu 1 Nov 12
I thought the NHS was in bad shape, and that's why they're reorganising it completely from the top down. Are they now saying reorganisation is no longer necessary?
Can anyone else remember Cameron's promise, "I'll cut the deficit not the NHS". Shameful!