Will mental health trust action end in tragedy?

Published: 2nd July, 2011

• I SUPPOSE that it was only a matter of time before the Camden & Islington Mental Health Trust decided to close a third hospital (New Journal, May 26).  

Having agreed to close Grove Centre and Queen Mary House and reduce the community mental health services by 40 per cent, this organisation is now planning to close and sell off the historic St Luke’s Hospital.  

It has long been the sub-text that C&I only really want one hospital site, the Highgate Mental Health Centre (HMHC) on Dartmouth Park Hill. They are moving closer to their goal with the reduction of sites to the HMHC and St Pancras Hospital.  

The St Pancras site is far from secure. It is owned by Camden PCT which may go out of business if the health bill goes through.  

At this point they will no doubt wish to sell this valuable asset and this will allow C&I to claim that it has to cut back further on its in-patient services.

The question is whether these cuts are safe and whether the needs of the vulnerable who use these services can still be met. Only time will tell and if C&I are wrong then it will be a tragedy for all.
Anna Bermond
Croftdown Road, NW5

Act applies

• TWO of the letters in the May 26 New Journal seem to indicate that people suffering from mental health conditions are being victimised by the council when deciding what services to cut.  

First we learn of the tragic death of mental patient Peter Wood; then of the fact that disabled person’s Freedom Passes – for those with a mental health disability only – “are being invalidated at the end of the month”.

These disabilities are serious and important and the fact that they are less visible or obvious does not make them less so. All conditions should be judged by the same criteria; to do anything less is obviously discriminatory.  

The council is bound by the Disability Discrimination Act and this surely applies, whatever the individual’s disability.
Margaret King
Address supplied