Lou's Story - Her concerns about being treated away from home.

Lou has been in contact with Beds In the Orchard to share her thoughts.  Lou has been an inpatient on a number of occasions at Ridge Lea Hospital, close to home and also hospitals out of the area.  Here's what she has to say.


I spent considerable time on the Halton Unit at Ridge Lea over 2 decades.  My main concern following this was the fact that we were all in dormitories and how difficult that was in terms of whilst it was 'all women' we were all troubled and things for many of us were worse at night and some of us were also interacting with our voices during the night.

Despite all the wards being closed down at Ridge Lea over the last few years one positive about the opening of the Lancaster Unit at Ridge Lea was that people had their own room.  I felt this would really facilitate peoples recovery.

I had in the past spent time on the psychiatric unit at Blackburn and also at Kendal. On both these occasions my psychosis was far more terrifying because I was in a different hospital and not where I lived.

I have tried to embrace the opening of the Orchards at Pathfinder Drive despite the lack of beds.  However I heard this week that the ward has been made all male.  I am extremely concerned about this based on my own experience of being admitted 'out of town'.

Issues of transport and visiting to outlying areas does not seem to have been considered.
Also I am not a mother myself but I believe women may struggle being out of town in terms of contact with their children.