Anger and distress remains undiminished a year after council announced Peterborough hydrotherapy pool would close

A year may have passed since Peterborough City Council announced the St George’s Hydrotherapy Pool would be ‘mothballed' the ‘heartfelt feelings of anger and distress’ are still raw for many users.

The pool was closed three years ago at the start of the pandemic, but users believed once COVID restrictions were eased, it would re-open.

However, last spring The Peterborough Telegraph revealed that the council would be ‘mothballing’ the facility, and not re-opening it as part of money saving measures.

When the council made the decision, a buyer for the site, who planned to keep it open as a hydrotherapy pool, had been agreed in principal – but the council pulled out of the deal, saying it would cost too much to prepare it for the sale.

Despite a campaign to save it, the pool has never been re-opened.

Users live in more pain and have less mobility

Karen Oldale, St George’s Friends and Service Users Lead, said the anger felt by users was ‘raw and undiminished.’ She said: “After a year it’s very clear that the heartfelt anger and distress at the council’s decision to close the pool, remains raw and undiminished.

“Sadly, the people who relied on the pool tell me that they have not coped well since the closure. They say their physical emotional health has declined. They live in more pain, have less mobility and some have lost their confidence and independence. Many miss the friendships they found at the pool. They feel far more isolated now. Lots of us miss our friends who attended from care and supported living homes; we wonder how they are doing now.”

Cost of new site is not affordable for most users

In a bid to replace the services offered at St George’s, the council have offered hydrotherapy sessions at the Lime Academy in Orton since the winter.

However, Karen said there had been a number of issues with the venue, and many users had not been able to attend the sessions.

She said: “I do not think the trial and Lime Academy has gone anywhere near as well as it could have. Following the pandemic, so many of St George’s hydrotherapy users needed help and support to return, especially to a different pool. But this has not been provided. We as a group have done what we can, but we are very limited. The council said the sessions would be ‘fully promoted’, but this never happened. Meanwhile, there continues to be too many barriers to access the pool for the trial to be a real success.

“Barriers such as the lack of any aquatic physiotherapy advice and support at these sessions. People need to know what they should be doing in the water to help their condition. And of course, the £12 per person per session cost is not affordable for most St George’s users. I know the evening and Saturday session times are unsuitable for many too.

“As the current arrangement stands, Lime Academy pool offers welcome help to those, who despite the barriers can access it, but it is not a suitable as a long-term replacement for St George’s.”

Plans were revealed by the Peterborough Telegraph for local GP Neil Modha to build a new hydrotherapy centre at the Thistlemoor Medical Centre on Lincoln Road.

In April last year, Dr Modha said he hoped the centre could be open by spring 2023, with plans to build a £2 million centre, that would be open to the public to use.

However, speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, he said the proposals were still at the planning stage, and he gave no information on when the centre could be built, or when work might begin.

‘Users said they felt hurt and betrayed’

Meanwhile, St George’s has remained empty – although it will be used as a polling station for May’s local elections. The council has previously said the building could be used for classes for Heltwate School.Karen said: “Users said they felt hurt and betrayed when they heard that St George’s was going to opened as a polling station.

"Most described it in terms of having ‘salt being rubbed into a wound,’ ‘being kicked in the teeth’ or ‘having the knife twisted’. They thought it was an insensitive decision that was bound to cause additional distress.”

Call for collaboration

Karen is now calling for the council to work with users to find a solution to help everyone involved.

She said: “My message to leader of the council is that we know and have proven community hydrotherapy is an incredibly valuable service for the city and its residents. We also know when it wishes, the council can make a positive difference and can achieve great things for the city. I would implore the council leader to take a lead in instructing positive communication and genuine collaboration between all interested parties - including the service users. This would be to work together until affordable and accessible community hydrotherapy is fully restored to all who can benefit in Peterborough.

"Personally I still have hope that there will be a future for hydrotherapy services in Peterborough. However, for this to become a reality it must be kept at the forefront of the public agenda for improving the city for its residents. Everyone needs to work together to achieve this. Service users have felt far too excluded for the past year.”