Lothingland Hospital

WE have recently seen stories in The Journal regarding the closure of adult care at Lothingland Hospital and the earmarked closure of children's respite.

We have a son with autism who self harms, cannot communicate and has to be on medication to keep him calm as he will attack us physically; biting, scratching, head butting, kicking and hitting. He attends the Warren Special School.

We totally rely on the respite care that the dedicated staff in the children's respite bungalow provide.

It is not just the respite but the total dedication to our son and to each child they provided over the years with helping us to try and learn our son the basic things in life, like toilet training, with which we are still battling at night time at the age of nearly 13.

Where will we find that kind of service from anything that the NHS proposes to provide us when we are battling to get any kind of help out of them?

We have no children psychologist and haven't had one for two or three years since the last one left, although we were told there would be one starting at the beginning of the year and who turned out to be for adults only.

As for the Lothingland Hospital children's community nurse, we have been on their list for more years than I care to remember and have recently been told that one has left so our son will be an adult by the time we get to see any one.

What will they provide for respite care? Will it be from willing families within the community? What if they can't find enough families who are willing to provide this service?

Obviously the people who dreamed up this unbelievable proposal do not have disabled children or adults for that matter who need the kind of care these units provide.

These are ours and every over family that accesses these service life line to a normal life for a few day.

As for the adult respite bungalows, how can they even think of closing these bungalows. It is a total disgrace.

HAYLEY and PAUL EASEY

Via e-mail