CITY council chiefs are leading a backlash against the NHS decision to shut down the Gordon Hospital (above) in Pimlico.

They insist it could make a difference if the public respond to a consultation, which opened this week.

North West London health chiefs shut the hospital with around 50 beds for mental health patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, and never reopened it. They want to make this permanent, arguing the building is not fit for purpose. But the closure has led to patients from Westminster being moved into mental hospitals all over the capital.

Adult social care lead councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis said: “Community mental health services are crucial, but they shouldn’t be funded at the expense of acute hospital beds. If we lose these valuable beds, we will never get them back. Facilities at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, for example, are hosting several mental health patients for extended periods and in some cases for days at a time, for up to 24 hours, in beds that are needed for patients who are physically ill.”

Details of the consultation can be found on the North West London Integrated Care System website.
www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk