Staff and ex-residents of the flagship Henderson Hospital for
people with personality disorders are rallying to save the unit
from permanent closure.
A fighting fund has been set up for the hospital in Sutton, Surrey,
which closed its doors last Friday for what could be the final
time.
Jo Brand, the comedian and former psychiatric nurse, and a group of
opposition MPs are supporting the campaign to either re-open the
29-bed therapeutic community or launch a similar residential unit
elsewhere in south east England. Campaigners hope to involve Brand
and other public figures in awareness-raising events in the coming
months.
Closure 'temporary'
South West London and St George’s NHS Mental Health Trust is
closing the Henderson on a “temporary” basis. Although the
long-term future of the psychiatric unit will be decided by a major
public consultation beginning later this year, its outreach
services will continue.
A spokesperson for the trust said a team of three clinicians and
one manager will remain at the hospital to meet “the clinical needs
of ex-residents and any new referrals”. The rest of the 30 staff
members are being redeployed elsewhere within the trust.
'Retain service model'
Tom Brake, MP for nearby Carshalton and Wallington, who visited
the Henderson with five other opposition MPs earlier this month, is
urging the trust to safeguard its “24 hours a day, seven days a
week” model of care.
“The core staff should be retained to allow the model to continue,
even if that means finding another building,” he said.
“I will be lobbying my counterparts in Westminster from all
parties.”
The trust argues that the “temporary” closure is due to falling
resident numbers, which mean the service model is no longer
viable.
Commissioning flaws 'sparked funding
crisis'
But John Stevens, a consultant psychiatrist who has worked at
the hospital for the last four years, says flaws in the
commissioning arrangements led to the “funding crisis” which now
surrounds the Henderson. He slammed as “disastrous” the Department
of Health’s decision in 2005 to delegate funding of the unit to
local primary care trusts on a case-by-case basis, allowing some of
them to opt out of financing the service.
Stevens said it was not too late for the government to save the
Henderson by strengthening the commissioning structure.
“We could have a sufficient critical mass of patients whose funding
was assured by an effective national or regional funding mechanism
and the Henderson could remain open. We could go to referrers and
say ‘send us patients because the funding is assured’.”
A DH spokesperson said: "There are well established criteria and
an agreed application process for service providers who wish to
apply to be nationally funded and commissioned."
She added that the DH was currently reviewing personality
disorder services.
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