Ravenswood matters
Your leader (Care dogma should not usurp residents’ needs, 7 May) powerfully articulates the love for, and importance of, Ravenswood Village to many families with relatives who live there. However, the suggestion that the consultation we have instigated is grounded in political dogma — and that its outcome is a foregone conclusion — couldn’t be further from the truth.
Since Ravenswood was established in 1953, the way in which people with learning disabilities and/or autism are supported to live their lives has changed beyond recognition. Today, organisations like Norwood are expected to provide services that enable people to exercise a degree of independence, exploring the realms of what is possible. This includes choices about how and where people spend their time, what interests they might pursue and importantly the ability to connect to what is on offer from the local community.
Like the families, we do not underestimate the benefits of settings such as Ravenswood, with its spacious environment and the close relationships between residents and staff. We understand that for many of our residents, this is the only home they remember and that any change to that could represent a significant upheaval. We also recognise the anxiety that a process such as this creates.
However, the shift from providing services at relatively isolated settings such as Ravenswood has significant implications: Local Authorities are not keen to commission these services and the number of residents living at Ravenswood continues to decline, making the service financially unsustainable. Capital investment likely to amount to many millions of pounds is needed to manage the unused areas and improve the site, and even that may not provide an environment that is best practice by today’s standards.
Given this, it is incumbent upon us to look seriously at all potential options for the future. We remain completely committed to supporting families throughout this process and beyond. Starting with a series of conversations that enable us to understand the perspectives of residents, families and staff is key and we will continue to listen very carefully throughout with an open mind.
Neville Kahn Norwood Chair of Trustees Dr Beverley Jacobson CEO Norwood
Many opinions have been expressed in recent weeks concerning the planned consultation that Norwood is proposing to undertake regarding the future of Ravenswood Village. However, I was disappointed to read your leader questioning the validity of such an important consultation.
Much of what has been written in the JC rightly identifies the natural fears of parents about the uncertainty of their children’s futures. However, given that no new residents have been admitted to the Village in seven years and Local Authorities are not making any referrals, it is absolutely Norwood’s duty and responsibility to consider the implications that this has for the current residents.
It is appropriate that Norwood consults with parents, social workers and staff working in the Village. But at the very heart of this process must be meaningful consultation with the people who currently live there. I’m sure that such consultation will be carried out sensitively and in a way that allows each resident to express their expectations, concerns and aspirations in ways that are commensurate with their individual situation and disability.
When I left the post as Director of Ravenswood Village over thirty years ago, I was instrumental in planning and facilitating the closure of two large ‘mental handicap’ hospitals in Berkshire. This involved understanding the type of life each individual wished to live outside of the institutions and the level of support that they would require. I was amazed at the variety of ideas that were expressed.
Consequently, the organisation with which I worked went to extraordinary lengths to develop a whole range of alternative provision in order to suit the various individual needs and wishes of the people moving out of those hospitals. What was even more satisfying was the way the former patients were, over a period of time, adapting to their new environments and discovering an exciting new world with new experiences. Just as important, they were discovering in themselves levels of self-confidence and personal abilities that they had never had the opportunity to enjoy in their past life.
Over recent years, the JC has featured the many achievements that have been demonstrated by people living in and using the range of community facilities operated by Kisharon. Such success can undoubtedly be replicated and further developed by Norwood.
At this time, it is important for everyone to contain their fears and anxieties; contribute positively to the consultation and trust that together, the future needs of the Ravenswood residents are fully identified and properly provided for by Norwood in the future.
David Shinegold Worthing BN11