Peter, I am sceptical that this will benefit older people with mental health problems. On the front page of the forum, it describes the mental health provision proposed as being for “adults”, which presumably means anyone over 18.
What the old Barnes Hospital provided was a specialist unit for older people. They were amongst people of the same age group, which I think is very important. When this hospital service was stopped for Wandsworth patients, the nearest provision was Tolworth Hospital and then eventually this facility was denied to my family. When my mum became very ill, she was admitted to a so called older patients ward at Springfield, which to me seemed to a ward of middle aged people too. It was just horrible.
I think it is good that mental health services are to be retained on the site, but I truly hope older people are not forgotten.
One further point, I hope that people will be able to smoke on the site, to deny people this comfort when they have smoked for 50+ years is just cruel.
Martine Guy ● 752d