Patients moved out as Acton Hospital closes for two years

Acton Hospital will close in November for two years.

This could force visitors for elderly or mentally ill relatives to take an extra three buses on their journey to Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith.

After three months of public consultation, the proposals remain largely unchanged from those put forward in October, though concerns have now been raised about the temporary move for the elderly and mentally ill currently under care.

The suggested one-phase development of Acton Hospital into Acton Nursing Home that will provide nearly 60 extra beds, will mean that patients are moved off the site while work is carried out until 2002.

Public meetings and consultation with the Community Health Councils involved resulted in issues such as ease of access for visitors to Charing Cross Hospital where all the in-patients will be transferred being highlighted.

Also raised were fears that wards in an acute hospital would not have the same atmosphere, and demands they should remain distinctive from the rest of the hospital, for example, still allowing regular visits from hairdressers and pets.

But the authority claimed that an improved design can be worked upon in one phase, and costs will be saved as it will be finished sooner. It also said there were problems with moving the patients around the existing site during work.

'There were concerns about maintaining the old building, which was to house the remaining patients, as this is in a poor state of repair,' said the report.

æThe Gunnersbury Unit at Acton Hospital which provided day care is unlikely to be replaced at all within the new development, and no other Ealing site can be found.

This comes as another day centre in Southall, the Penny Sangham, has been deemed unfit to continue much longer.

Hammersmith Hospitals Trust which runs the current site has until November to find alternative accommodation, and will be waiting for an Ealing social services report on the care of the elderly in the borough, before deciding on the solution. The health authority was due to approve the plans yesterday (Wednesday).