Child development centre at Medway Maritime Hospital closed
PARENTS whose special needs children attend a development centre based at Medway Maritime Hospital are angry that they have been kicked out into a smaller premises.
Staff were told to move out of the Sanderson Child Development Centre run by NHS Medway over the weekend and have transferred to A block.
Scores of appointments have been postponed and donated equipment has been put into storage
A statement from Medway NHS Foundation Trust said: "The move , jointly agreed by the hospital and NHS Medway, is to allow more inpatients to be treated at the hospital at a time of exceptional demand.
"The Sanderson Child Development Centre, which was formerly a ward, will be refurbished so that it can be reopened before the end of January as a temporary single-sex medical ward for inpatients.
"This arrangement will last for six months, until the new Macmillan Cancer Unit building is complete."
Mum Laura Wise, 41 from Sittingbourne has an autistic son, Callum, aged three who attends the centre.
She said: "I got a call from the centre on Saturday morning and have been told Callum's appointments with his speech and language therapist have been cancelled indefinitely. The centre is a lifeline to parents. Surely the trust has a duty of care to our children."
Full story in Thursday's News.
Have you been affected by this move? What do you think?
4 Comments
by melanie, Rainham
Thursday, January 22 2009, 4:04PM
“I think that was another stupid decision made by management to just decide this at short notice without informing parents of children who regularly use the sanderson centre is disgraceful, the ones suffering are the children whom the centre was intended for.”
by Lynda Styles, 4 Acre Close, Rochester, Kent
Thursday, January 22 2009, 3:08PM
“Whenever the CDC asked for improvements to be carried out they were told that the building was a temporary one and no funds were available - where has the money now come from to resurface the path leading to the Centre when our requests were ignored?
Even before the CDC when the building was Rochester Ward it was regarded as temporary.
If the building was a temporary one, why did both trusts make no attempt to find a suitable building to resite the CDC a long while ago?
Two rooms in A Block offered for sensory and soft play were unsuitable - what other provisions have been made?”
by Sharon, Sittingbourne
Friday, January 16 2009, 4:51PM
“My 3 year old son attends the centre, he has cerebral palsy and although he is bright and just started at mainstream nursery he is unable to sit, crawl, stand etc. He has attended the centre since he was discharged from hospital at 4.5 months old. The building has been used for children for about 10 years and £100000 raised by the Goldilocks charity was used to build a sensory garden - this along with sensory rooms is no longer available for the children to use. You cannot just 'move' the garden! We have had sessions cancelled for at least a month when our son needs regular therapy.”
by Charlotte, Gillingham
Thursday, January 15 2009, 10:29PM
“My son attends the centre regularly for both appointments and a group session. This news is devestating for the children it cares for and as Ms Wise says it is also a lifeline to parents.
Words fail me at what they were thinking of when this decision was made.”