What's all this about then?

Who are we?
Beds In The Orchard is a campaign to reinstate access to psychiatric inpatient care for women at The Orchard hospital in Lancaster after provision was withdrawn with no notice or consultation with  Service Users or the wider community.

Why Does This Matter?
Female patients or service users from Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham and the surrounding towns and villages will now be sent between 30-60+ miles away from their homes if they need inpatient care.  This means separating them from their children, families, friends and other support networks when they are at their most vulnerable. 

Why you should care.
You may not live in this area and you may not have a mental health problem, but with 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health issue in their lifetime, the chances are that you will know someone who does.  Lancaster is just the tip of the iceberg of severe cuts to psychiatric services across the UK, where patients are sent miles away from their homes to access treatment. The story of Beds In the Orchard is one that is repeated across the country.

What we are doing
This blog is part of a coordinated campaign by local service users, their family and friends to reinstate the female inpatient beds at The Orchard in Lancaster.  Updates on the campaign, details of how to get involved and press releases will all be added to the blog as the campaign is first launched and progresses.  Please check back for updates!