A SERIOUSLY ill man is to be moved a second time since the closure of Bootham Park Hospital, this time 50 miles away to Middlesbrough, a relative has said.
Natalie Johnson, 29, said she is concerned about the help available to a close relative, who has schizophrenia and has been sectioned.
Having been in Bootham Park Hospital for ten months, when it closed suddenly, leaving York without a mental health hospital, he was one of two patients moved to Acomb Garth rehabilitation unit. Acomb Garth is also due to close as it is due to become a unit for male dementia patients.
Natalie said he is due to be moved to Roseberry Park hospital in Middlesbrough.
Bootham Park Hospital
The move will mean Natalie and her dad will struggle to visit him regularly due to the distance and expense of travel, she said.
Natalie said: "Why should they have to go away from their family and friends that support them?
"He was quite comfortable in Bootham, he liked the staff there. Then obviously he got told he would have to go to Acomb Garth, having been told he may have to go to Middlesbrough but we tried to keep him here.
"You need family around you. I personally think he will feel isolated up there. He can phone me but it's not the same is it?"
A spokesperson for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s important that people get the appropriate level of care and treatment and sometimes a rehabilitation and recovery unit is not the best place for this.
“We are sorry to hear of Ms Johnson’s concerns and would encourage her to raise them directly with us.
“We understand how difficult it is for families who have to travel to Middlesbrough to visit their loved ones and we do everything we can to help them.”
It has been a tumultuous time for mental health services in York in recent months as Bootham Park Hospital closed to inpatients and outpatients in October.
Peppermill Court, off Huntington Road, then closed to male dementia patients, so it could be converted to a temporary hospital late last year. It is due to re-open as a replacement for Bootham Hospital in the summer.
The dementia patients from Peppermill Court were moved to Worsley Court in Selby, however last week plans were announced to move them from Worsley Court into Acomb Garth so the service could be run from York.
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