Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Unit ‘vital’ to patients’ wellbeing
A MENTAL health patient has told of the vital need to keep the closure-threatened Mulberry Unit open.
Adele Douglas, 25, from Forfar, said closing the unit at Stracathro Hospital permanently would bring “more stress” to patients and their families.
NHS Tayside temporarily shut the Angus facility in February due to j unior doctor shortages and had already put it under the microscope as it considered closing one or two of its t hree adult mental health centres.
The preferred option now identified and supported by NHS Tayside clinical staff is for a single site at t he Carseview Centre in Dundee, which would mean the closure of the Mulberry Unit and the Moredun ward in Perth.
Local campaigners Joanne McFadden and David May — who have been fighting to keep the unit open — joined the growing chorus of discontent. Ms McFadden said: “We were told the Mulberry Unit was at greatest risk of closure more than a year ago.”
If the plan is approved on June 30, the consultation will be available at the taysidementalhealthredesign.scot.nhs.uk website.