LETTER: Spencer Ward - Care is no longer '˜closer to home'

On behalf of my husband and myself and all the other families and carers who have used this facility, I wish to thank all of the truly wonderful staff who have given so much excellent care and support to my husband and myself, no words can describe how much the closure of Spencer Ward will affect my husband and myself, and I know that all the other carers and loved ones feel the same way.

It is such a scandal that we are losing this facility and I feel for the staff who have gone above and beyond their duty in providing such dedicated care.

To the North Derbyshire and Hardwick Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) who made this decision under the catchy title ‘Care Closer to Home’, next time you decide to make a decision that has a huge impact on people like myself and my husband, perhaps you might like to consult families who are having to deal with looking after loved ones on a daily basis suffering dementia and mental health issues to understand the devastation your ill informed decisions cause.

‘Care Closer to Home’ for my husband now means taking him to a care facility which he is not familiar with, which is more than 40 minutes away from his home and although the care that will be provided hopefully will suit his needs it will not by any means be the excellent care he currently receives on the Spencer Ward. I DO not call that care closer to home!

The supposed Rapid Response Team, of which I have absolutely no information of how it is supposed to support my husband is to be based in Bakewell, I DO not call that care closer to home.

My final comment to the CCG is you should hang your heads in shame for taking from Buxton an excellent facility which did not ‘need to be fixed’!

Carole Waters

By email

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