McGlone: Horror at state of Hollywell Hospital

SDLP Mid-Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone has described his horror at discovering serious dilapidation in the fabric of Holywell Hospital in Antrim during a visit over the weekend.

Mr McGlone visited the mental health facility with Cllr Kate Lagan as a follow-up to prior visits over the last six months, when they first noted problems.

He said: "Conditions at Holywell are simply disgraceful and the Northern Trust should be ashamed of themselves for letting things get to the state they are in.

"One of the cornerstones of mental health treatment is ensuring that the patient's environment is conducive to recovery and pleasant to inhabit.

"However, I witnessed serious cases of damp, walls in need of repair, overgrown garden areas, peeling paint and generally Dickensian conditions, all of which cannot be conducive to the recovery of those entrusted to the hospital's care.

"I cannot in any of this fault the hospital staff, who are rightly and richly praised by patients for the high quality of their care, but the Trust has serious questions to answer about why they are letting areas of the facility get into such bad disrepair.

"I am aware that areas of the hospital are listed, but the running repairs needed do not require sign-off from the relevant environmental agencies to be completed.

"What is most angering is that I am now forced to alert the media to this sorry business after having given the Trust a total of six months - three since our last visit - to sort things out after concerns were raised with me and Cllr Lagan.

"Nothing has been done.

"Cllr Lagan and I are now seeking an urgent meeting with Health Minister Edwin Poots to raise our serious concerns and ask for immediate action."


ENDS