1500+ demand Bootham Park Hospital is saved - read their moving arguments

The majority of signatures - which can be seen here on change.org - have been made overnight with testimonies made to the help the hospital has given people and the need for a mental health inpatient unit in York and North Yorkshire. 

The hospital is closing its doors today under the order of the Care Quality Commission following an unnannounced inspection. 

Here is a selection of some of the comments: 

"People of York need mental health care in their city. The support of family and friends in this kind of crisis is crucial to recovery, whatever your age. The neglect of Bootham Park, as most mental health hospitals is shameful. Mental health appears to be unimportant to successive government/health leaders, yet has such a huge impact on the physical health and social well-being of individuals."

"My brother has been in Bootham Park at least 40 times in the last decade. It is a place of refuge. The idea that his acute mental health support will be out of town in future is a disaster for him and for many like him. This closure was rushed, and will severely damage York's mental health."

Bootham Park Hospital

"Mental health services are key to a healthy society"

"This the last mental health establishment in York and area, we need it to stay open to support some of our most vulnerable people"

"The closure of this much needed health facility in York is a further decline in health care provision in our City . It's closure will mean people treated away from York will take longer to recover they will feel further isolated from family & lived ones. Its closure is also to short notice to allow proper community support network to be in place."

"I have very recently retired from my job as a staff nurse in the MH service. A service that was excellent in patient care, dedicated teams. They have known for a few years it was not fit for purpose. Why was a new facility not built?? Why such short notice?? Our patients are now out of area. Links will be broken. Incidently staff are still in BPH, such as CMHT, admin, managers. Thus the building was deemed that unsafe that patients were moved with 5 days notice only, but it is safe enough for staff??!!! We need to either refurbish BPH to a high standard or build a new facility. But please don't send our people from our community out of area. Scandalous."

"York needs somewhere to help those in need without having to travel out of the city. The building is beautiful and the highly skilled staff may lose the ability to use their skills."