Fears grow as Hope House could close

There are fears for how patients will be affected if a local mental health centre is closed.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Jun 2015, 08:24 BST

Hope House, formerly known as Willowtree House, in Twinbrook is faced with potential closure as the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust review their services.

The facility could be moved to the Trust’s Derriaghy Centre, a few miles away in City Business Park. However, the transfer from the heart of the Twinbrook community is causing much unrest. Peter McBride, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health (NIAMH), part-funders of Hope House, is quoted as saying that closing the facility will cost the Trust ‘at least’ the £50,000 a year it takes to run.

In a statement, the trust said: “We are currently reviewing many of our services.

We will be talking individually to all of those who access services at Hope House to assess their individual needs.”