“My Brother has been using this centre for over 30yrs, it is a disgrace that the council have shut it down and sold it even though NOTHING will happen on that site for 3 years. Its just a case of a unattached councillor with no understanding of peoples needs in the ward in which they were elected. My Brothers health will now deteriorate rapidly as he relies heavily on routine and familar surroundings. The Council will have blood on their hands and i for one will not allow this to go unseen or unpunished. Council Elections are in May and i wil be standing so people like my brother have a voice. As for Bev Knott, not a clue. We were not consulted at any stage, we were TOLD what was happening and they only appeared to be listening to give the appearance they were trying to do the right thing. Where is the money from the sale of the land going to be used by the council? i bet it wont be on disabled services, probably more likely going towards funding their lavish expenses! Disabled people deserve equality not discrimniation yet they have been hung out to dry by an uncaring council more interested in pound notes than the very people they should be fighting for. After all thats why they were voted in!”

“I totally agree with everything that Les and Anna have written about the Bush closure.
In my opinion although Bristol City Council have had (and I have attended) a number of meetings with some of the Parents/Carers whose sons/daughters attend the Bush I believe that these meetings have been held to make it look good but they have not truly listened or involved them. A lot of what is written about the Bush closure looks good on paper but in reality it isn¿t as good as it looks and it isn¿t the way we felt how meetings went.
The Council should have learnt lessons when they closed Snowdon Road Day Centre but it appears that they didn¿t? I wonder if Bristol City Council officers know where all the people that had to leave Snowdon Road are now and if they are happy about what they are doing now?
Only this last week on the radio they were stating about Care and that there would be a short fall in budget for the next financial year. They spent money (which could have been saved) in hiring The Mede in Inns Court. Parents/Carers weren¿t asked their opinions about what they thought about the idea of opening The Mede before Bristol City Council did it.
The same thing has happened with the selection of the site at Ruthven Road which is to be used by people with more profound needs, Parents/Carers weren¿t consulted. These people will now have less space to use and also will be segregated from the other more able people with learning difficulties, which they have been used to being with for possibly a number of years. This surely is going backwards not forwards?
The whole exercise was done wrongly and because of this the closure was rushed through in the last couple of weeks, which meant that insufficient time was allowed for a proper transition period. The Bush should have been kept open for perhaps another 4 weeks to allow for this.
Some people have been sent to the Mede in the last couple of weeks that shouldn¿t have been sent there. It seems as though they are doing this as a stop gap operation as they haven¿t allowed Providers sufficient time to employ new staff to work with these people and to try to get some transition period?
We were like Les and did not know what would be happening to our son until the day the Bush closed.
All along Bristol City Council officials have said that they will be with their friends. Now at the last moment we have been told that our sons/daughters Providers could meet with other Providers on occasions and this will be their chance to meet some of their friends, but a number of them they may not see again? I am very concerned especially for those in residential homes. Will they meet their friends again?
It is so sad that people don¿t know where their friends have gone, so won¿t be able to keep in contact with them.
I believe that the staff at The Bush have been treated very badly with some staff being interviewed for a job at Ruthven Road as late as the day of closure of the Bush and numerous others not knowing what will happen to them.
The stress and anxiety to Parents/Carers, Clients and Staff which has been caused by this whole episode has been abysmal and it has affected many peoples health.
This doesn¿t agree with what Councillor Bev Knott said to the paper and I quote ¿I want to be absolutely sure that we keep disruption and anxiety for those involved in such difficult changes to a minimum¿
I wonder how much the whole process of closing the Bush has cost taxpayers and how much extra it is going to cost by using Providers, perhaps Bev Knott will let us all know but I doubt it?
The Bush should have been kept open and the School should have been turned into purpose built flats for people with learning difficulties. The rest of the site could have been used for numerous other things for people with learning difficulties to mix in the community. I expect the site will be sold and turned into a housing estate? In my opinion once more the most vulnerable people in so”

“If anyone independent is willing to take time to acquire an overview of what has happened to service users from The Bush, I and others have much knowledge to share about the gap between what is being said and what is actually happening to this group of 100+ vulnerable people.

As well as being closely involved all through this last year, I have spoken recently to very many people in the hierarchy of those involved with the closure and it's so called re-provisioning and am still awaiting responses that reflect and address the reality of what is happening. I have MPs looking into this but as the busy people they are, it is a long and complicated process. So far, I have found nobody willing to seriously look at what is in fact happening, and those without a voice are at risk, yet again, of being affected adversely and yet finding nobody to take up their cause. If we could find someone, perhaps an investigative journalist, willing to use the closure of The Bush as example of how good intentions are being compromised by poor practice, we might make inroads into the continuing and too hidden suffering of people with a learning disability, particularly those with complex needs and the least ability to communicate - there is already a long history.

The current changes are happening all over the country and there are 2 R&C Centres in Bristol still to face this process. Much could be learned from The Bush experience but who will have the will to do so when all the words of those in charge indicate something very different from the reality?
Who might take up this challenge to make what has happened to people from The Bush more transparent, change what is happening, albeit belatedly, for those without proper provision, and stop this happening to others?

As example of the different treatment for those who are and are not represented, my son, who has very complex needs, has had me fighting his cause over the last year with the help of both an advocate and a solicitor, and has ended up with a good service and a proper transition. Three other men sharing his residential home who did not have anyone representing their needs were asked to leave The Bush 10 days before it closed and have so far not even progressed to having their Reviews of need assessed by a social worker let alone any plan for new services. There can be no transition period for them as was acknowledged to be needed in order to make adjustments in a healthy way to something very different. The authority still maintains 'there has been no break in service"! How many others are in this situation? All needed more time to find and organise new services and all needed a proper transition period. We argued for this all during the last year and now we find our fears were entirely founded that the re-provisioning might not realistically be achieved in the time set.

This should be brought to national attention as example, but a start could be made at local level - is anyone up for it?”

“In reply to Bev knott¿s statement ¿We have worked with all users of the Bush Centre over recent months to review their needs and to draw up a plan of activities, care and support which meet their individual circumstances.¿

Many of us parents/carers did indeed attend a number of meetings with those who job it was to close the Bush down, we were asked what we thought we would like to happen and what our needs for those in our care required, but as all those that attended these meetings will testify, the needs of those in our care were not heeded, we were told that the bush would close regardless as it was agreed by the Bristol City Council. We were given opportunities which were worse that those which we already had with the excuse that these changes were necessary to implement the Government ¿care in our society¿ but we all feel that this was an excuse to cut the costs involved in of running the Bush and not in the interests of those who attended the centre.
The main feeling of all at the meetings were, that the Bush should have been kept open as a small independent unit, as it was a secure area having a large grassed ground where those who used the Bush were safe as the land was fenced off and most of those who attended the bush have known each other for a very, very long time and were great friends who may now not see each other again, there were a number of organized activities for them to do during the day with trips out to various venues.

We felt they were safe at the Bush, and did not have the worry whilst they were there, those who worked at the bush knew them all very well and knew of their needs but now who knows, I just pray that with all the changes, it works out, because Robert is aware that something is happening but as yet, as us all very much in the dark.”