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Hydrotherapy pool 'needs to exist', patient says

Ellen Knightin Hadnall
News imageEllen Knight/BBC Ball is photographed looking into the camera with a neutral expression. She is wearing a beige cable knit jumper, and has her dark hair tied back in a ponytail. She is also wearing a translucent, light blue neck brace. Ball is stood by a window, with natural light hitting her face. The room she is stood in has white walls, with dark beams on the ceiling. A mural on the wall behind her has a tree with trailing leaves and two small images of birds. Ellen Knight/BBC
Alex Ball sustained a spinal injury whilst serving in the Royal Military Police

A rehabilitation centre patient has voiced concerns about a council proposal to close a day centre that has a hydrotherapy pool.

Shropshire Council is consulting on the future of its in-house adult day centres, including its Aquamira site, as part of a response to "significant financial pressures."

Alex Ball, a former sergeant in the Royal Military Police, received treatment at the pool for a spinal injury and said the facility "needs to exist" for future patients.

Shropshire Council's portfolio holder for adult social care, Ruth Houghton, said the authority was "very keen to stress that no decision regarding the use of Aquamira Day Service has been taken."

Ball said receiving physiotherapy at the pool was "fabulous," giving her "an hour where I could just move and be pain free."

"I'm not cagey about my injury, but the privacy was a big part of it as well," she added.

Thanks to her rehabilitation, Ball said she was able to pick up her five-year-old daughter, "the first time I've been able to carry her in so long."

The prospect of Aquamira closing was "really, really sad," she added.

The local authority's consultation runs until 26 March - with three proposals on the table.

On its website, the council said it was a response to "evolving local needs and significant financial pressures."

One of these possible moves is closing the Aquamira centre - and transferring the people who use its learning disability services to an alternative venue.

But this would mean the loss of Aquamira's hydrotherapy pool.

News imageHealthsec Rehab A photograph, supplied by Healthsec Rehab, showing Ball getting physiotherapy at the pool. She is wearing a pink tshirt, and is stood chest-height in the water, side-on to the camera. Her arms are raised above her head and her dark hair is tied back in a bun. On the left of the photo, stood outside the pool, is physiotherapist Jacob Youngson, who is wearing a grey and white long-sleeve top and dark blue shorts. The sides of the pool are dark wood, and the walls are tiled in various shades of blue. There is a large window, looking outside, where trees, ivy, and shrubbery can be seen. Healthsec Rehab
Alex Ball, pictured receiving hydrotherapy at the centre, said the prospect of its closure was "really sad"

Hydrotherapy employs warm water submersion to help people rehabilitate from physical and neurological issues.

The small pool allows physiotherapists to work with patients to reduce joint strain, relieve pain, and build muscle and balance in a purpose-built, private environment.

Healthsec Rehab, a centre near the village of Hadnall, has recently been paying Shropshire Council to use the pool.

"I can't believe anyone is looking at it and not seeing its worth, not seeing the benefit that it has to patients," Ball said.

"There aren't words to describe what you what you get out of it," she continued, adding that she "can't believe that someone would look at it and not see that it needs to exist".

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Anthony Jackson is looking into the camera and smiling. He is wearing a white and dark blue checked, collared shirt, and a dark wool blazer with a small military badge on the left lapel. He has short, grey hair and a beard, and is wearing dark-framed glasses. The walls of the room are white, and he is stood in front of a sign that reads 'HSR' in gold letters, and the words 'physiotherapy & wellbe[ing]' are written in blue letters. Ellen Knight/BBC
Anthony Jackson said the council "don't seem to understand" why the pool was beneficial

Anthony Jackson is a former lieutenant colonel who spent 43 years serving in the Royal Medical Corps, and now runs Healthsec Rehab.

The hydrotherapy pool in Shrewsbury was a "fantastic facility," Jackson said.

"It's such a shame that the council don't seem to understand exactly what its benefits are," he added.

He explained that using a standard swimming pool was not an option because "the water's not warm enough, it's too public", adding that "people don't want everybody staring at them".

NHS hydrotherapy is hard to access, Jackson said, as they are "prioritised for NHS [patients]" and "you only get a certain amount of [sessions]."

Jackson is calling for the council to engage with his suggestion of a business-led model that would allow the hydrotherapy services to stay open.

Houghton reiterated that Shropshire Council was "currently undertaking a public consultation," and that "we activity encourage anyone who's interested to take part".

"As the public consultation is still ongoing, it would be wrong of us to pre-empt its conclusions and discuss the future use of the building."

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