St Luke’s Hospital staff in fears on services switch

Feb 11 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HOSPITAL workers have accused mental health bosses of keeping people in the dark over closure plans for St Luke’s Hospital.

The Crosland Moor hospital is due to close at the end of this year, but staff have said they are still unsure what will happen to the town’s mental health services.

One worker, who did not want to be named, said: “No one seems to have any idea what is happening in the long term to mental health services in Huddersfield.

“There has been a distinct lack of publicity from anyone over this subject.

“If this town loses its inpatient units will they ever return? I and my colleagues have our doubts.”

The decision was made to close the Blackmoorfoot Road site in 2006 after NHS officials claimed inpatient services were not sustainable.

But new premises for mental health in-patients have not yet been secured and many of hospital’s facilities still remain on site.

These include two wards and outpatient clinics for psychological therapies, facilities for administration staff and community mental health teams.

But staff say it is still unclear where facilities, run by the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will move.

They are also concerned that there appears to have been little public consultation over the hospital’s closure.

Another staff worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Examiner: “I really feel that everyone has been kept in the dark over this.