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Ridge Lea is still the best option

Ridge Lea has recently seen significant redevelopment and refurbished rooms but now the Trust wants to close it, claiming it would be cheaper to renovate the derelict Derby Home and refurbish Oaklands instead. They argue that Ridge Lea is too large, but talk of expansion onto the Royal Albert fields in the future.

We believe the consultation document raises many questions about the closure of Ridge Lea. Of the 3 proposals, Ridge Lea would:

• enable the retention of more services in Lancaster;
• have less impact on local roads and environment;
• provide superior outdoor space for recuperation;
• wouldn't require future development of greenfields.

Other reasons for maintaining Ridge Lea are:

• The facilities could be brought up to a high standard by investing in new buildings.
• It meets the criteria selected by the NHS as part of its consultation to the same degree as the Royal Albert site
• It has space to expand - indeed the Trust state that Ridge Lea is too big.
• It is already established in a community that has been providing mental health care for many years.
• It is located within the community, but won't impact on the everyday lives of its nearest neighbours.
• It is more accessible for people travelling from north Lancashire via junction 34.
• It will have less of an impact on the highways.
• It does not involve the development of a green field site.

Some background information...

Past consultation

The 2004 Morecambe Bay consultation found in favour of developing new facilities in Lancaster. Although initially considered "not affordable", a full business case was developed for a complete rebuild at Ridge Lea and was ready for submission to planning in 2006.

Money already spent

£10m has been invested in Ridge Lea in recent years, including the redeveloped Lonsdale Unit which is due to close in Spring 2010 when patients transfer to Guild Lodge in Preston.

MIND rates Ridge Lea ...

Patients worked with designers as part of the SEED project, resulting in huge improvements to the fabric of Ridge Lea. MIND has hailed the18 en-suite rooms of the Lonsdale Unit as "fit for the 21st century" and with "costs actually lower than previously envisaged" suggesting that refurbishment could be a cost effective option.

... but not the Trust

LCT has neglected to publicise the improvements at Ridge Lea. The consultation document states conditions are very poor and doesn't refer to the improvements. At its public meeting in April 2008, this was emphasised when LCT only showed images of un-refurbished rooms.

Conflicting costs

LCT claim it is uneconomic to refurbish Ridge Lea, but are willing to invest in the derelict Derby Home – yet have produced no figures to justify their claims.

Best care?

LCT intend to combine working age and older adults, yet the older adults were moved from Ridge Lea to Oaklands in 2004 because the mixing of working age adults on older adult wards was found to have a detrimental effect upon older adults' care.

Outdoor space

The outdoor space at Ridge Lea is flat and plentiful with well-developed gardens (considered essential by MIND for service users' recovery), compared to the steep and exposed slopes at Oaklands.

Transport

Parking at Oaklands is limited, public transport is woefully inadequate, the roads are busy and constricted. Ridge Lea is a far better option in these respects.

How big in the future?

LCT gives inconsistent messages about its bed numbers. At the public meeting in April 2008, it was stated that 50 beds were required - now LCT only require 24. As stated on P7 of the document, future expansion is expected. If Ridge Lea closes, a major obstacle to LCT gaining planning permission will have been removed.

What does the community think?

Many residents expressed views against the proposals to site a unit on Royal Albert Fields at LCT's engagement activities held in 2007. Their votes were considered biased and discounted. At Buckshaw Village (another proposed site near Chorley) residents expressed strong views against the use of that site and their votes were counted and considered "a strong message from the community". LCT have always intended to develop Royal Albert Fields, considering it to be the "prime site" at a meeting in 2007 – before any consultation began.

What does the Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee think?

The Health & Overview Scrutiny Committee examined evidence provided by RARA and heavily criticised LCT for its inadequate consultation and manipulation of results.

Conflicting standards

Why is the Trust is raising the issue of isolation and safety, when many units in Lancaster have small numbers of beds e.g. the Junction (8), Harvey House (16), Oaklands (20), Daisy Bank (14) and Altham Meadows (20).

Poor service for the very ill

The loss of the Pyschiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) will affect families and service users' care as they will be forced to travel long distances with poor public transport. If services remained at Ridge Lea, there would be space for a PICU and isolation wouldn't be an issue.

Social inclusion

LCT states that "social inclusion will be at heart of the care treatment delivered within Lancaster and Morecambe." They state that Ridge Lea is "quite isolated from the rest of the community which restricts social inclusion". New housing estates are being planned close to Ridge Lea. However, our understanding of social inclusion is more to do with how care is managed to avoid feelings of stigma and not about location.