Promise to Use St John's Hospital Site for Health Care

1.04.49pm GMT Tue 2nd Dec 2008

The South West London Mental Health Trust has assured Vincent Cable MP that the St John's Hospital site will continue to be used for health and social care.

The Chief Executive of the Trust has repeated his assurance to the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee decided not to raise further objections to the transfer of services for the elderly mentally ill from St John's to a new home, Caring Homes, in Teddington.

Vincent Cable said that "there is undoubted anxiety about the change in service but the protest campaign has achieved a great deal in ensuring that there is longer term - five year - security for the new arrangement; the money saved will be ploughed back into improved dementia services; and carers will be carefully involve din the new services.

"I am pleased to hear from t he boss of the mental health services that the site will not, as we feared, simply be sold off for development but used primarily for meeting local health and social care needs."