A secure hospital ward for people with complex learning disabilities is to be closed within weeks, leaving families struggling to arrange suitable care for vulnerable patients, the BBC has learned. The ward at Woodland View Hospital, in Ayrshire, is to shut on 14 July after health chiefs said it had "fallen short of our standards and expectations". Experts told the BBC it was "nonsensical" to close a ward at such short notice and hospital transitions of this kind usually take a minimum of three to six months. Andrew Malcolm, who has fought to get his 21-year-old son Fraser out of the hospital for four years, said it was not possible to get a suitable care package in place so quickly. "None of the care providers can react in that time, it's not safe, it is not ethical," he said. Woodland View, near Irvine, is a 206-bedroom mental health facility and community hospital which was built in 2016. Ward 7A is an eight-bed unit that provides assessment and treatment for patients who have complex health care needs, often associated with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Fraser, from West Kilbride in North Ayrshire, is one of six patients who will have to leave the ward when it closes on 14 July. He went into the unit in 2021 for a 12-week assessment because he was struggling to regulate his behaviour. His parents have been trying to get him out of the hospital and into suitable care since. Doctors said he was ready to leave the ward three years ago but no package of support was agreed. His parents have now received a letter from the health board telling them the ward will close within weeks. Caroline Cameron, director of North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said the ward was an increasingly unsuitable physical environment and there had been "incidences of violence and aggression". She said they had struggled to recruit and retain staff and there had been challenges moving patients out to more appropriate community settings. "Despite a focused and intensive support over a period of time, the challenges in Ward 7A have not improved and it is no longer suitable for patients to remain there," she said. Fraser has limited speech and complex needs but his parents says that before he went into hospital he lived a full life. He attended a special school, regularly went sailing and on holiday with his family and was helping his dad renovate a sailing boat. His mother Karen said: "People go into hospital to get made better, not worse - and Fraser's so much worse now than he was when he went in there." His parents have raised a number of safety concerns about his care. Earlier this year Fraser was hospitalised after swallowing the handle of a spoon. However, his dad Andrew told BBC Scotland that complex cases like Fraser's need a proper transition plan. He said: "You can't have somebody locked in hospital who's now de-skilled, profoundly deaf, non-verbal, and just told they are free to go home." Consultant clinical psychologist Prof Andy McDonnell told the BBC the proposal to move Fraser with four weeks' notice was "nonsensical". He said a plan to put him with agency workers until a care team can be recruited was "insane" because to a patient they are just "a bunch of strangers". Prof McDonnell, who is a director of Studio Three, a company which specialises in transitioning people with complex needs out of hospital, said the proposals on offer for Fraser had all the hallmarks of a "botched transition", with a high likelihood of people getting injured. He said transitioning people with autism, who are often suffering from complex trauma or PTSD as well, needed to be very carefully planned. "In my experience, the first year can be quite rocky for a lot of people," Prof McDonnell said. Lawyer Claire Currie, who represents the Malcolm family, said the timeframe for the ward closure was "unprecedented". She said: "I am aware that some of the patients have not left the ward in months, if not years. "Sadly, they consider that environment their home. "I am very concerned for any individuals who may be suddenly moved without transition planning or proper preparation." In early 2022 ministers pledged that by March 2024 significantly fewer people with learning disabilities will be stuck far from home or in hospitals. A pledge they didn't meet. The Scottish government set up aregister of those with learning disabilities stuck in hospital or inappropriate out of area placementsin an effort to move people on from institutional care. The latest figures show 1,264 people are on register with 318 classified as urgent. Of those there were 157 people in hospital, of which 74 were classified as a delayed discharge. Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: "I am sorry to hear of this difficult situation and can fully understand the stress that it is causing to the patients and their families. "I understand that the decision to close the ward has been taken as a result of continuing and escalating concerns about the sustainability of service delivery in the ward." He said the health board was working together with the patients and their guardians to ensure robust transition plans are in place.
We've been fighting to get our son out of hospital but not like this
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Closure of Secure Hospital Ward Raises Concerns for Patients with Complex Needs"
Bbc News
7.3
TruthLens AI Summary
A secure hospital ward for patients with complex learning disabilities is set to close imminently, raising significant concerns among families and advocates for vulnerable individuals. The Woodland View Hospital's Ward 7A, which specializes in assessment and treatment for patients often diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, is scheduled to shut down on July 14, following health chiefs' declarations that it has not met operational standards. This abrupt decision has left families, such as that of 21-year-old Fraser Malcolm, scrambling to secure appropriate care solutions for their loved ones. Fraser has been in the ward since 2021, initially for a 12-week assessment, but his family has faced continual hurdles in arranging his transition back to suitable care. Experts have criticized the short notice for the ward's closure, pointing out that typical transitions require months of planning and coordination to ensure that patients receive safe and effective care that meets their complex needs.
The implications of this closure are particularly troubling for families like the Malcolms, who have struggled for years to obtain adequate support for Fraser, who is now described as being in a worse condition than when he entered the facility. Concerns have been raised about the quality of care in the ward, with reports of incidents of violence and a lack of staff. Mental health professionals warn that the proposed transition plan lacks the necessary foresight and preparation, which could exacerbate the challenges faced by patients with autism and complex needs. Moreover, despite a long-standing commitment by the Scottish government to reduce the number of individuals with learning disabilities in unsuitable hospital placements, progress has been slow, with many individuals still awaiting appropriate community care solutions. As the closure date approaches, families and advocates are left anxious about the future care arrangements for their loved ones, emphasizing the critical need for thoughtful and well-planned transitions in mental health care.
TruthLens AI Analysis
You need to be a member to generate the AI analysis for this article.
Log In to Generate AnalysisNot a member yet? Register for free.