Helen Ducie, 45, of Whiteray Road, Ryelands, says there are only three beds for women suffering from mental illness locally, whereas there used to be 40.

Patients will have to travel to Blackpool and other areas for treatment making it more difficult for families to visit.

Helen has recently spent a spell on the intensive care unit at Ridge Lea Hospital with a manic depressive illness, and says visits by her family give her a boost and help her get better.

"My worry is the lack of beds for women. They are closing the Halton Unit until next year and they have shut Kendal as well.

"Who has made these decisions? It stops people seeing their doctor with mental health issues because they don't know where they are going to end up.

"The staff here are brilliant, from the highest nurse to the cleaner, and they are worried as well.

"I just don't know what's going to happen."
A spokesperson for North Lancashire Health said: "We are about to commence refurbishment work at Ridge Lea Hospital. The current accommodation does not meet required standards and the work is urgently needed to bring the standard of accommodation offered at the hospital up to an acceptable level.

"Refurbishment work will replace the current dormitories with single bed accommodation.

"This work is scheduled to take place between September 2007 and February 2008.

"The refurbishment work will, however, have a temporary impact on the availability of local female beds for the duration of the work. The work, when completed, will lead to a reduction in the number of acute inpatient beds available to 16 ( nine male and seven female).

"From mid-August there will be no female admissions to the acute inpatient unit at Ridge Lea Hospital.

"Beds will be made available for females requiring admission across the Lancashire wide mental health network.

"Whilst this work does cause some disruption in the short term it will contribute to the overall development and modernisation of local mental health services."

Forum members from Lancaster and Morecambe mental health service user forum, put their views forward, saying: "Many people prefer to go to hospital closer to home as they can become isolated from family and friends otherwise.

"Travel for family/friends can be stressful and expensive. There's also a need for adequate separate female accommodation on wards. There is a need for information about what services are available.

"Many people with mental health problems find services hard to access. Also a need for meaningful dialogue between health professionals and a wide range of service users and carers about what people's needs are and what's available.

"There's a need for flexibility according to individual's needs.

"It's important to look at service users' well being as a whole – in the context of their relationships, aspirations etc, not just their diagnosis."

n If you are suffering with mental health issues and want to have your views heard contact Lancaster and Morecambe mental health service user forum on Lancaster 62039.

Alternatively email lancaster-morecambe-forum@together-uk.org