Bristol mental health ward to close
A mental health ward at Southmead Hospital is to close for six months with patients being cared for in the community.
Staff were left reeling by the announcement made at the hospital on Wednesday.
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Clifton ward is an acute open ward, one of four at Soutmead Hospital.
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust said the ward was being closed initially for upgrading but the move could be permanent as the trust moves towards caring for more patients in the community.
Clifton ward caters for 19 patients with a range of mental illnesses from bi-polar disorder to paranoid schizophrenia.
Patients are usually admitted when they have a crisis or it is not possible for them to be treated at home.
A member of staff, who did not wish to be named, said: "The meeting got quite heated. It was a shock to hear that the ward would close within two or three weeks.
"They said it would be a six-month temporary closure but no-one believes that.
"The main reason the trust has given is the occupancy rate which was said to be 76 per cent. But we have people coming on the ward from other trust areas - it is constantly full.
"It is a concern. They say that people will be treated in the community but they are not providing extra staff to meet the demand in the community.
"People need to have 24-hour support. This is about money, not patient care."
Julie Hankin, clinical director of adult services, said the ward would close within two or three weeks for a health and safety upgrade in line with other upgrading work at Southmead.
She said: "We will be using this as an opportunity to try out how we would function without that ward.
We and the primary care trust are moving away from heavy inpatient care to more community resources."
She stressed that patients in Clifton ward who still needed inpatient care at the time of closure would be moved to another ward and that the number of patients being cared for in the community would not increase significantly to warrant extra staff.
Staff working on Clifton ward will move to other wards.
But Ms Hankin said that the ward would re-open if it was felt that the number of beds - which will drop to about 50 in total at Southmead and Callington Road Hospital - was not adequate.
Michael Howlett, director of the Zito Trust charity, expressed concern at the move.
He said: "A high dependency ward is obviously for people for people who have a high level of need.
"I think closing a ward of that size, that does that kind of work, sounds risky.
"There is no reason that anyone should feel confident about the ability of the community service to cope with potentially difficult people.
"One of the main issues with community care is people being discharged into the community before they are ready and being required to take medication which they might stop
"There is a very high incidence of those with paranoid schizophrenia stopping medication."
It is understood that the South West Strategic Health Authority is investigating 12 cases where people with a mental illness have killed in the community.
It is to hold an inquiry into whether there were failures in the care of Stephen Newton, who was found guilty of murder in December for stabbing Bristol pensioner Philip Hendy in the neck and back in Greenbank Road, Easton, in April 2007.
Mr Hendy's family say Newton, who had a 15-year history of mental illness, should never have been free to walk the streets.
Mr Hendy was killed around the corner from his home on a Sunday morning after paying his paper bill at a local shop.
One of Mr Hendy's sons Julian Hendy, said Newton, 43, should have been detained in hospital after "clear warnings" to mental health services.
Newton's legal representatives had argued he was suffering from mental illness when he stabbed 75-year-old Mr Hendy and attacked 84-year-old Hargovindhai Taylor, while apparently in the grip of delusions.
Julian Hendy said the family had learned that Newton was well known to mental health services in Bristol.
He told the Bristol Post after the court case: "We learned there were clear warnings about his psychotic behaviour. We believe Mr Newton should not have been at liberty and dangerous in Greenbank that day - he should have been in hospital. The loss of our father has been a traumatic and devastating experience."
10 Comments
by N, Bristol
Monday, February 02 2009, 5:31PM
“Well Shonegar i have had 1st hand experience with people with mental issues, i agree the vast majority of them do fit back into society eventually after receiving the apropriate treatment, but there is a growing number of them that work the system, and constantley try to con doctors .................What do you suggest we do with these people, or are you just full of preaching, and unable to offer any pratical solutions ?”
by Shonegar, Bristol
Monday, February 02 2009, 10:58AM
“N, it is you who needs to get a life, or more importantly needs to get a little better informed about mental health issues.
A very large number of people need the help of mental health services at some time or another. This does not make them "unbalanced" or dangerous. That is part of the unfortunate stigma and misinformation peddled in the world about mental health.
Much like theoretically sane people, a very small minority of mental health patients have violent or anti social tendencies. The can usually be identified and many with the proper management will go on to lead perfectly normal, happy, fulfilling and non destructive lives.
There is a small group, like with any physical disability who need more constant supervision, for some this will be in a residential setting, for some it will be in the home.
I have great admiration for staff such as those in the Clifton Ward as they are dealing with those patients with high levels of need, often in challenging circumstances. As a community we need to ensure that the appropriate services are in place to look after them and the community they live in until they are in a position to fit back into the community. Lets not forget though that they are a very small minority of those patients who access mental health services each year.
The notion of simply locking up anyone with a mental health problem until they are cured is completely archaic and destructive. In most cases locking people up in that was will simply make things worse and will diminish any likliehood of people making any sort of recovery or being able to manage their condittion in normal society.
The treatment of mental health has come a very long way since the days of locking people up and throwing away the key. Sadly the press takes great delight in promoting the very small number of violent crimes comitted by people who have had serious mental health problems, while conventienly overlooking the vast bulk who fit into society.
Mental health issues need to take their place alongside physical health issues and have the stigma and prejudice removed. That way more people who would be benefit from treatment and support who feel more comfortable about getting it not only from health professionals, but from those closest to them. That way we will all live in a better world.”
by N, Bristol
Sunday, February 01 2009, 7:38PM
“Oh get a life Dawn, your aurgument has no substance, its just another example of our soft society...............When people have the need for mental health services they should be kept in a secure unit untill they are cured, otherwise we are releasing people who are potentially unbalanced, therefore adding to the rest of the people who commit crimes, and murder !”
by Dawn Willis, Totnes
Sunday, February 01 2009, 3:50PM
“I have to disagree with the comments made by 'N Bristol'. The majority of violent crime in the U.K is committed by people who DO NOT have a mental health problem!
Would you be suggesting that people such as Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax, Alastair Campbell, Kerry Catona, Robbie Williams should be "locked up"? They all have had a diagnosis of Mental Health at some time within their lives!
It's very sad that hospital beds are closing - people do need them during for 'acute' care...but only then. 1 in 4 people in the U.K will suffer with a Mental health problem at some point in their lifetime, and most of them will go on to Recover and lead a perfectly ordinary life...!
In this century there is no excuse for ignorace, stigma and discrimination in mental health! Get yourselved clued up by checking out the 'Time To Change' website before you make sweeping judgements....”
by N, Bristol
Saturday, January 31 2009, 7:22PM
“Mental patients should not be cared for in the community...................As there has be several cases where people have been attacked by these people when they are living in the community. Bring Back Mental Homes !”
by Eli, bristol
Saturday, January 31 2009, 7:15PM
“i have been a patient on this ward several times and find it very worrying how it will be possible to manage patients in the community, it is such a busy ward with patients constantly being admitted day and night, i think suh a closure will have detrimental effects. not only are patients going to suffer but i also feel very sorry for the staff, they have had to manage many changes over recent months and it seems only a matter of time if the ward stays closed that jobs will be put on the line.The staff there have been through enough, and without them i would not be in the position i am right now, i would never have managed at home,their help and support was fantastic. surely the money being used to upgrade the hospital could be subsidised in someway to help save peoples lives and jobs???”
by sarah sarah, bristol
Saturday, January 31 2009, 4:06PM
“as i work at the Southmead site(although on a different ward) i feel sorry that a hard working ward such as clifton has to close and or relocate for the 2nd time in 3 years. How is bristol going to manage with the closure of another 19 beds? Its not easy working with such a difficult client group and now it is set for the rest us to work on a quicker turnover of service users resulting in discharging before they might be ready.”
by Mike, Bristol
Saturday, January 31 2009, 3:09PM
“It's false ecomeny, ther's a massive mental heath problem out there. All they will do is turn up at accident and emergency and demand to see a doctor or phyciatrist. The problem does not go away and needs addressing.”
by david, kingswood
Saturday, January 31 2009, 11:14AM
“With 12 cases under investigation that say's it all.Lessons are never learn't, and the public are at extra risk, with this added to the horrendous crime rate we now live in.If they can can spend millions on the new Southmead,then stop penny pinching now.”
by John, Kingswood
Saturday, January 31 2009, 8:35AM
“'Care in the community'--- Great, get your empty cardboard box from Asdas, and you will find that there are still one,or two empty shop doorways in Kingswood High Street.”