‘Village community’ idea settles dispute

Gwent Health Authority and the families of
four vulnerable residents of the Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital have
reached a compromise over the residents’ future care.

The
agreement is the culmination of 10 years of legal wrangling caused
by the health authority’s decision to close the long-stay unit and
move the residents, who all have profound learning difficulties,
into community-based care. Residents claimed this breached their
human rights (News, page 15, 27 September, 2001).

At a
High Court hearing last week, lawyers for the families said they
would facilitate a feasibility study into the merits of the
residents moving to a “village community”. Under the agreement, the
health authority would place them in such a community if it
“reasonably meets their assessed needs” and if relatives
agreed.