The consultation on the future of the flagship Henderson
Hospital for people with personality disorders was called into
question at a public meeting last week.
South West London and St George's NHS Mental Health Trust
temporarily shut the 29-bed hospital in Sutton, south London, in
May after a dramatic drop in referrals. It could reopen if the
number rose.
Scrutiny
Councillors from Sutton, Merton and Hillingdon in London, and
Medway and Tunbridge Wells in Kent, who have formed a committee to
scrutinise the consultation, held a public meeting last week on the
issue.
The committee's vice-chair, Merton councillor Sheila Knight,
warned that the consultation - due to report by next June - was so
lengthy it could prevent the hospital being reopened "because it
will have been closed for so long".
The Henderson is still running an outreach service and handling
assessments for new referrals, and there are two similar facilities
where people can be treated.
Data
Knight said, in the absence of the Henderson's service,
officials leading the consultation should keep data on the number
of people referred for treatment since the hospital's closure and
what happens to them.
She said: "If you want us to take this seriously you need to
take things like that on board."
Funding for the hospital, which had a six-month waiting list,
was transferred from the Department of Health to PCTs across the
three regions in 2006 and referrals fell as some PCTs withdrew
funding.
Residents
Members of the Ex-Resident Action Group, which is campaigning
for the hospital to remain open, also attended the meeting.
A member of the Ex-Residents Campaign Group said : "There are a
lot of people out there who are really dangerous. I could have
ended up in prison for the rest of my life if it wasn't for the
Henderson."
In September, the 62 primary care trusts in London, the South
East and eastern England which commission places at the Henderson
will hold a public consultation into its future and that of similar
services.
More on the closure
Henderson Hospital campaign bids to fight closure