Thousands back bid to revive York mental health hospital shut down by watchdog

The Grade-I listed psychiatric hospital in York was shut down by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October over concerns that patients were at “significant risk of harm”.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell was joined by York mental health campaigners and shadow health minister Luciana Berger at the petition handover following last year’s controversial closure.

The sudden shutdown, which left patients and staff with just four working days of notice, has led to several patients being transferred to facilities in Middlesbrough and Northallerton.

Ms Maskell is calling on the Government to build a new mental health facility on the Bootham Park site, while urging an independent inquiry to be carried out.

She said: “The focus of this petition is to bring patients back to York and I will be campaigning to ensure that we have a state-of-the-art mental health facility as soon as possible.

“I have been in discussions with Historic England who assure me that the current Bootham Park Hospital site could accommodate a new build on the site, and I know that the current site is overwhelmingly supported by services users and their families and carers.”

Law firm Irwin Mitchell was instructed by former patients to challenge the closure of Bootham Park Hospital earlier this year in a move which could result in a judicial review in the High Court.

The CQC allowed Bootham Park’s revamped ‘place of safety’ suite, aimed at preventing vulnerable people being detained under the Mental Health Act spending time in police cells, to reopen in December.