Theresa May has expressed her concerns about proposals that could see mental health services for older people removed from St Marks Hospital in Maidenhead. Under proposals drawn up by Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, all mental health inpatient facilities could be moved to Prospect Park Hospital in Reading, meaning there would be no services available in Maidenhead or East Berkshire.
The proposal is one of the options being consulted on by the Trust. A second option, supported by Theresa, would see services for older people remain at St Marks. Currently St Marks offers inpatient services to older people suffering from mental health problems such as dementia.
Theresa has written to the Chief Executive of the Trust, Philippa Slinger, to express her concern about the proposal to move all services to Reading, and to support the proposal to keep services at St Marks.
Commenting, Theresa said: “It would be completely unacceptable for all of these vital mental health services to be moved to Reading, leaving Maidenhead residents with no local facilities. This would mean longer travel for people wishing to visit a relative in hospital, meaning inpatients may well receive fewer visitors. I am particularly concerned that older people may not be able to visit a spouse because of the difficulties they may have in organising transport.”
“Although none of the options presented by the Healthcare Trust are perfect, it is important that some services remain at St Marks so that East Berkshire residents do not feel abandoned.”
