Agenda item

To receive an update on the Gordon Hospital.

7.1       The Committee received an update from Robyn Doran, Director of CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, and Ela Pathak-Sen about the status of the Gordon Hospital.

7.2     The Committee requested clarity on the potential of a site at Woodfield Road to

provide in-patient care in Westminster. The Committee heard that, whilst a site in the area was one option, it was not the only option being considered, and that plans were still in their infancy.

7.3      The Committee noted that the HSJ had featured an article on 14 July focusing

on how central government was pulling back on hospital building. The Committee discussed this and questioned how long it would take to build and open a new site or hospital with capacity for in-patient care to replace the Gordon Hospital provision. The Committee and others present agreed that this would require many years. The Committee stated firmly their hope and recommendation that the Gordon Hospital would be reopened.

7.4     The Committee heard that there would be a formal consultation surrounding

the reopening of the Gordon Hospital at the end of summer 2021. Robyn Doran stated that there was no plan to reopen the Gordon Hospital.

7.5     The Committee asked where patients who needed bed care were being sent,

given the closure of the Gordon Hospital and heard that a breakdown of where Westminster patients was being sent was available in the report submitted to the Committee. The Committee also heard that the bulk of patients were being sent to the St. Charles’ Hospital. The Committee was advised that, despite the rise in mental health difficulties noted by both the Committee and CNWL NHS due to the conditions of the pandemic, there was currently no indication of a rise in need for in-patient provision.

7.6     The Committee welcomed as an external witness Philip Perkins, a

Westminster resident, who shared his lived experience and views on the closure of the Gordon Hospital. Mr Perkins informed the Committee that hi’ wife was a former in-patient at the Gordon Hospital, and that moreover he firmly believed that there remained a need for in-patient provision for south Westminster residents, who might need support to prevent them from going to hospital as a last resort. Mr Perkins further shared with the Committee his view that the location of the Gordon was crucial as from the south of Westminster, it could take one hour each way to visit the St. Charles’ Hospital in North Kensington. Mr Perkins strongly expressed his desire that the Gordon Hospital reopen and remain open with premises local to south Westminster, and that, even if it did not reopen as a hospital, it should reopen as a Wellbeing Centre, based on the model of Argo House.

7.7       The Committee discussed members’ visit to the Gordon Hospital site. The

Committee also noted, in conclusion, that whilst considerable reconstruction work to future-proof the Gordon Hospital and make it fit for high-standard in-patient care might be required, it would surely cost no more money than developing a new site elsewhere in the borough. The Committee further noted that developing a site elsewhere was an option that residents did not seem to desire.

7.8   The Chairman summarised the discussion, noting that the Committee discussed   

that in-patient mental health care within the boundaries of Westminster would be beneficial, and that the temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital, though necessary at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had not helped matters.