Happy with care at Walker Close
Two years ago, my learning disabled and autistic brother-in-law was admitted to Walker Close for assessment following a severe attack of neglected UTI, ironically acquired while awaiting discharge from West Suffolk hospital. The toxicity of the infection resulted in extremely challenging behaviour and a Section 28 to an out-of-county assessment centre close to Norwich. There he received no treatment or assessment and deteriorated rapidly. With the help of his community nurse we managed to get him transferred to Walker Close, where his improvement was immediate. We were very happy with the set-up of the two light, cheerful and homely bungalows, housing only four people each, which mirrored his own shared home in the community. We cannot fault the assessment process, which included numerous physical and psychiatric tests, plus monthly follow-up meetings for family, with carers, social services and medical staff. Unfortunately, his care company refused to allow him to return to his home so his stay at Walker Close was unnecessarily extended while we looked for similar accommodation elsewhere. However, he seemed happy there, the staff were excellent, very caring, trying to give him as normal a life as possible. It will be a real loss to the community if Walker Close is closed down; people should not be forced to go out-of-county through lack of local facilities, certainly not the most vulnerable, who suffer most through being separated from their families and everything that is familiar. LD and autistic people respond better in a more homely environment, Walker Close effectively bridges the gap between home and hospital care. Six mental health assessment beds for the whole county is simply not enough. How can it be cost effective to open a new facility when there is a perfectly good one already in operation and within the grounds of Ipswich Hospital, at one time apparently able to house a total of 16 adults in 4 bungalows, why not simply update it? Perhaps this needs a more flexible approach, day care as well as inpatient, or one or more bungalows set aside to house bed-blocking cases. Please think again, or at least put it to public consultation.