'Sad day' for Royal Borough's mental health patients

The Royal Borough has expressed its bitter disappointment and frustration at the NHS Berkshire decision, announced today, to move all mental health beds from St Mark's Hospital, Maidenhead, and Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, to Prospect Park Hospital in Tilehurst, Reading.

Cllr Simon Dudley, cabinet member for adult and community services, said: "This is a very sad day for mental health patients and their families in Maidenhead, Windsor and Ascot. At present they have access to these services locally but now, while we recognise that high quality care will continue to be provided, they will have to trek up to 25 miles for that care."

The move to Reading was proposed by Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2010 as one of three options to enable it to save more than £20m over three years.

The council supported another option - of moving all services to Prospect Park except for those in Charles Ward, St Mark's Hospital - as it was the only one to offer a locally-based service to borough residents.

Cllr Dudley added: "We have fought long and hard to save local services for local people but the NHS has made the decision to go ahead with the move despite opposition from the council, medical and care professionals, the public, the media and particularly the patients and their families."

The Royal Borough has contacted the NHS asking for further information on its proposed additional investment in local mental heath services and the annual travel budget following the move.

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