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Anger at closure of Otley hospital day care
WHARFEDALE Hospital's day hospital will close this week after health chiefs agreed to push ahead with a stripped-down version of the service.
The facility is currently open from 10am to 3pm, three days a week and provides a social base for patients (including stroke and Parkinson's Disease sufferers) attending a falls and balance physiotherapy programme.
But from Monday patients, if they are referred to the hospital by their GPs, will report directly to the therapy departments then return home.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTH), which says the change is needed to attract the necessary funding, is promising a seamless transition' for patients and staff.
Others, however, are worried about patients losing the social benefits they currently enjoy.
Wharfedale Hospital Forum member Councillor Graham Kirkland (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) said: "The day hospital is somewhere where people have gone and got very good social therapy, as well as physiotherapy, but now they're scrapping it. It is used by around 30 to 40 people at a time and over a year that could amount to several hundred.
"They're just going to do the physiotherapy now, and that's only provided the patient's GP agrees to pay.
"The Trust has told me we're not in the business of social care, that's the responsibility of somebody else'. The fact they've been in the business of social care for the last 40 odd years seems to be by-the-by.
"I asked them if they had contacted Social Services because if they're not prepared to do it somebody else should be.
"I raised this at last week's forum (when the decision was confirmed) but I got the feeling I was banging my head against a brick wall.
"It's another service lost. Everybody, including politicians of all parties, see that the hospital is grossly underused and the response of the Trust is to reduce it even more."
LTH, though, claims the new system will be more efficient and points out it will still offer some social interaction, including small-group musical exercise classes and the chance to do Tai Chi.
A Trust spokesman said: "The proposals for the reprovision of the service have been discussed at length with the forum and they have been kept informed throughout the review process.
"Members of the group accepted that the complete 'health' care component of the (eight-week, rolling) Falls Programme will continue, however there was some concern expressed that the 'social' element of the patients visit would be lost.
"It should be stressed, however, that patients are not being referred into this service for social reasons. All ongoing patient assessments include social care needs and if this is identified as a requirement the appropriate referral will be made to Social Services, as it is now.
"The new service is planned to commence on May 12 - from this date onwards the Falls and Balance programme will be managed from the Physiotherapy department. There will be no break in service ensuring a seamless transition of services for patients and staff alike."
The new service will run from the Physiotherapy department on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (the same days the day hospital currently runs) from 1pm to 3pm.
Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland said: "Once again we have a situation where one service is being removed before we are being told what will replace it.
"Despite my asking for the last few years, we still haven't got a clear picture of what services local people can access at Wharfedale Hospital.
"This is long overdue and as long as we don't have this, people will continue to be very concerned whenever a service is removed.
"So it is time for a clear statement from the Trust about where Wharfe-dale Hospital is going and what services will be based there.
"Then local understanding about the role of the hospital will increase and confidence in its future will grow which will be in everyone's interest."
3:19pm Friday 9th May 2008
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