CAMPAIGNERS held a placard waving protest outside Kidderminster Hospital following a decision by bosses to shut a mental health ward.

Political and health campaign groups said the decision to close Harvington Ward on November 7 by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust would leave Wyre Forest “dangerously short” of adequate provision.

The protest saw people from Wyre Forest Labour Party, Worcestershire Socialist Party and health campaign group Betrayed By Their Trust gather at the hospital on Wednesday (October 26) morning calling for the decision to be reversed.

Trust chiefs said the closure was part of an overall revamp of mental health services across the county and they had developed a more community based model to enable more people to be cared for at home.

Hospital wards for mental health patients will be retained at Worcester and, for those requiring more intensive help, Redditch.

They added the proposal had been developed following full consultation with staff, service users, families and carers.

But in an open letter sent to the trust, Wyre Forest CCG and the CQC, the Wyre Forest Labour Party said: “Once again, it appears that Kidderminster Hospital and its valuable services are being singled out for closure while others hospitals fare much better.

“This time, it is our view that it will leave Wyre Forest dangerously short of adequate mental health provision. It will either isolate these people in need of these services, or act as a barrier to access.

“This, we believe, will place additional strains on both the patients in need of such services and their families who support them, and all at a critical time.”

In a joint statement, trust psychiatrists Dr Jan Birtle and Dr Lenia Constantine, said: “The model has been carefully developed with the support of service users, carers and qualified mental health professionals to provide safe and effective intervention both in a community and ward-based setting.

“We are following the principle that treatment should always be offered in the least restrictive environment possible for patients and strengthening home treatment provision as an alternative to hospital admission.

“We have looked closely at bed occupancy figures and trends, and have worked with mental health services elsewhere in the country who are delivering similar models to learn from what is most clinically effective.

“We recognise that this new model represents quite a shift, but we would like to reassure our communities and current users and carers of our service that it is developed from an approach that has proved effective elsewhere, is clinically safe and will provide effective care and treatment to those at differing stages of illness, with a far greater focus on home treatment, recovery and maintaining independence.”