AT a meeting in the Hag Fold Community Centre, residents' problems were discussed and details of the forthcoming "clean-up day" were given by the committee and Cllr Loudon.

There then followed a discussion on the breakout from the Spinney of two of their patients.

Some residents were worried by rumours of the type of patient treated at the Spinney.

Mr Mike Bennett, the unit manager, assured the people at the meeting that murderers, rapists and child molesters were NOT and never would be treated at the Spinney, but that just as any other hospital patients, the confidentiality of the Spinney's patients must also be maintained.

The old mental hospitals had been demolished before any real provision had been made for the mentally ill, with the result that many were left to be cared for by their local communities, but many slipped through the net.

Now at long last we have places like the Spinney (but all too few) where the mentally ill who have fallen by the wayside are assessed and treated in a modern building and cared for in a caring, compassionate manner by professionals.

Mr Bennett gave a clear explanation of the incident and the action taken and a police officer also attending the meeting verified this.

I have every sympathy with home owners living in the vicinity of the Spinney afraid of any fall in the value of their homes, mostly due to misconception of the kind of patients in care at the Spinney.

Someday, maybe soon, when the public realise what the value of modern treatment of the mentally ill, and the effort being made by caring, dedicated, professional people, they will give the carers the support they genuinely deserve.

Alice Cook,

Devonshire Road,

Atherton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.