A VALE man, waiting for two years to leave hospital to live with his family, has been given an early Christmas present by health minister John Denham.

Hospital.

In a victory for Barrie Such, his family and Vale MP Peter Luff who took up the case, Mr Denham has intervened to ensure Worcestershire Health Authority, Wychavon and social services work quickly to find a suitable house.

Mr Such was paralysed in a fall from a telegraph pole near Broadway in January 1993 while working as a BT technician. Since then he has been moved between home, hospitals and nursing homes while county social services and the health authority decide who is to pay.

Speaking in a House of Commons debate last Thursday, Mr Luff said: "This is one of the most tragic cases I have known in my eight years as a constituency MP."

For the past two years Mr Such has been at Evesham hospital but both he and his wife Wendy feared he might be moved to a residential home out of the county to free the bed while decisions were made on his future.

Mr Denham has now assured them Mr Such will stay at Evesham until a suitable family house has been found and converted.

Mr Luff visited Mr Such and his wife at Evesham hospital last Friday morning to give them the good news.

He said: "The Minister agreed this was an unsatisfactory story and the place for Barrie was with his family at home in the Badsey area and that he must not go to another institution.

"He is now taking a close personal interest in this case and the NHS regional office and Social Services Inspectorate will advise all the local agencies on all options. The property which would be most suitable in Badsey is hopefully still available and Wychavon housing department is doing a feasibility study.

"If funding is an issue the Minister made it clear the county and possibly Evesham and Pershore Housing Association and Wychavon will be helped by national bodies."

Mr and Mrs Such said it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

"I would like to praise the tremendous hard work over the last two years that the staff on William Astley ward and matron have put in," said Mr Such, a tetraplegic.

"They have been absolutely brilliant and bent over backwards, taking me to exhibitions and to the cinema. They can't do enough for people. I would also like to thank Peter Luff for his commitment."

Mrs Such added: "There is a feeling of security now. We are not at home together yet but at least we know it is going to happen now. I really hope it stops this happening to others and that it will benefit other people."

Sue Hunt, chief executive of Worcestershire Community and Mental Health NHS Trust which runs Evesham hospital and has been involved in drawing up a care package for Mr Such, said: "Staff at the hospital have been struggling to find a way forward and we are very pleased with this latest development."

In his speech, Mr Denham added: "I have also asked my officials to ascertain whether there are any similar cases involving younger disabled people in Worcestershire and, if necessary, to investigate the circumstances in those cases.

"There are no villains in this case. None the less, I am anxious to ensure that lessons are learned from the handling of the Worcestershire case."