Whitehaven mental health ward closure branded betrayal by MP

A decision to close an acute mental health ward without re-running a public consultation is a “betrayal”, an MP has claimed.

The 16-bed Yewdale Ward at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven has shut, with services transferred 40 miles (65km) away.

Josh MacAlister, who represents the Workington and Whitehaven constituency, said the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) was ignoring the findings of an independent report calling for it to review the process it followed.

However, CNTW said it felt staging another consultation was unlikely to lead to a different outcome as worries would remain around safety and staffing.

Twelve new beds are being provided at the Carleton Clinic in Carlisle, with a further four to open at the planned Hope Haven centre in Whitehaven.

A review carried out by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board found CNTW had “undertaken substantial work to demonstrate the viability” of moving services to Carlisle.

But it warned there was “insufficient evidence” other options had been explored.

It said CNTW had attempted to reach as wide an audience as possible to ensure it met its statutory duty, but also highlighted concerns the consultation had taken place “late in the decision-making process”.

In its recommendations, the board said “commissioners and providers should collaborate closely to review and, if necessary, re-run the options development and appraisal process” ensuring all possibilities were “thoroughly explored and assessed”.

It also called on CNTW to “meaningfully involve patients and the public in this process”.

Labour MP MacAlister said he was “extremely angry and frustrated” the trust had “decided not to act”.

Describing it as a “a betrayal of west Cumbria”, he argued the decision allowed CNTW “to get away with running a flawed and seemingly pre-determined process to close Yewdale ward”.

In response, the trust acknowledged there were “strong feelings” and said it had listened to the views of more than 1,000 people.

A spokesman said: “In spite of the hard work and dedication of existing staff, the service in the form it was operating was always likely to face significant problems.

“It was mixed sex, and as the only service of its kind on the site it had long-standing and serious difficulty in recruiting enough of the highly trained staff it needed to run safely.

“We do not feel that re-running the entire public engagement process in full would be likely to lead to a different outcome as safety, staffing and quality concerns would continue to be a major problem.”