A SECURE hospital ward for people with complex learning disabilities is set to shut down, with families only given a few weeks’ notice to secure alternative care.
Ayrshire’s Woodland View Hospital has confirmed it will shut down ward 7A on July 14 after medical bosses said it had “fallen short of our standards and expectations”.
According to reports from the BBC, families were only given four weeks’ notice of the closure, prompting experts to brand the move as “nonsensical” given that hospital transitions of this manner usually take around six months.
Currently, the eight-bed ward houses six patients. The unit provides assessment and treatment for patients with complex health needs, including those with autism spectrum diagnoses.
A West Kilbride family affected by the closure spoke to the BBC about the difficulties they are now facing as their son Fraser, 21, is set to be moved back home after four years in the ward.
Dad Andrew Malcolm said he had been fighting to bring his son home since his admission in 2021 and that it was not possible for a suitable care package to be obtained before the ward closes.
"None of the care providers can react in that time, it's not safe, it is not ethical," he said.
Caroline Cameron, director of North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, told the broadcaster that the ward had become increasingly unsuitable due to “incidences of violence and aggression”.
Woodland View Hospital, a mental health and community hospital built in 2016, has also struggled to find and retain staff for the ward.
Consultant clinical psychologist Professor Andy McDonnell called the plan to move Fraser with four weeks’ notice “nonsensical” and warned that placing him with agency staff – “a bunch of strangers” – was likely to result in a “botched transition” and potential harm.
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership have been contacted for further comment.
