The BBC Reports on the visit of Two Manchester MP’s Visiting A Meeting Hosted By MUN !

 Edale House closure: Mental health care concerns raised

 A BBC Report. Manchester 25 th August 2011

Two Manchester MPs have criticised a mental health trust, saying patient care is not being put first.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust’s plan to shut city centre psychiatric unit Edale House is being raised by Tony Lloyd and

Patients at Edale House will be transferred to a unit at North Manchester General Hospital

John Leech.

The trust wants to move patients to Park House at North Manchester General Hospital to cut costs.

It said the closure would have a “number of important benefits” to those who use their services.

‘Local service’

It said it had engaged widely with service users, carers, staff and community groups to improve treatment and care.

The MPs spoke out at a support group for those with mental health problems.

Mr Leech, Liberal Democrat MP for Manchester Withington, said it was important for patients to have a local service.

“I drove up to North Manchester yesterday, it is hard enough to get there by car, but getting there by public transport is significantly more difficult,” he said.

“I just think that they are making a massive mistake by relocating all these central Manchester patients up to north Manchester.

“I think the first issue for me is about having a local service.

‘Engaging widely’

“The trust has argued that Edale is not fit for purpose. At a meeting yesterday with the Manchester Users’ Network, it was described as state-of-the-art. Now they both can’t be right.”

Mr Lloyd, who is supporting his Lib Dem neighbour, is Labour MP for Manchester Central.

Edale House has 82 beds, and treats people with dementia and other conditions.

A statement from Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust said: “The move of our inpatient beds from Edale House at the MRI site to Park House at North Manchester will have a number of important benefits to those who use our services, including improved bed availability for when admission is required, better space for therapeutic activities and a greater concentration of medical, nursing and therapy staff expertise.

“We have developed this proposal by engaging widely with individuals, service users, carers, our staff, community groups and other stakeholders to ensure we improve quality for our service users and use our resources as effectively as possible.”

  Visit BBC:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-14660946                                                                                

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