Fears for patients as day hospital services split

Care for elderly mental health patients currently using Waterloo Day Hospital is to change as part of a trust review.Merseycare Trust has announced that the hospital will become South Sefton Neighbourhood Centre from February, with the hospital’s current services to be delivered from a variety of settings.



But staff have expressed concerns as to the effect this will have on the patients and their carers. The hospital will undergo refurbishment from October, with treatment to be provided from other community settings and in patients’ homes.As part of the changes, two community mental health teams currently based in other premises will relocate to the new centre, which a trust spokesman said will save overheads and management costs. A project board, which includes doctors, nurses, service users and carers, representatives of the PCT and local authority is overseeing this work and, the spokesman said, service users will not be disadvantaged.

But Christine Day from Litherland, a community mental health nurse based at Mossley Hill Hospital – another trust site affected by the changes – said: “It is going to split up successful teams that look after very vulnerable people. The hospital also provides support and respite for carers who are often in extremely stressful situations trying to care for family members at home.”

Kim Crowe, executive director for service development and delivery at the trust, said: “In all cases services users are being individually assessed to identify their specific needs and determine how they can best be met in the future, either by Merseycare or another, more appropriate provider. Carers will be involved in this process.

“The trust has met with staff affected by these changes and understands their concerns and anxieties. We are working with them to secure the best possible outcomes for our service users.”

The trust said there will be no redundancies as a result. More information is available at www.merseycare.nhs.uk

source: http://www.crosbyherald.co.uk/news/crosby-news/2011/06/16/fears-for-patients-as-day-hospital-services-split-68459-28885575/