MENTAL health patients and their carers are fighting plans to close a special hostel in Worcester.

Worcestershire County Council has proposed closing 2 Stanley Road and moving the eight residents into their own accommodation in the community where they will get regular visits from health professionals.

It is one of a series of proposals on the table as part of a modernisation of adult mental health services in the county.

But residents, past and present, say the hostel is vital in providing support for people who suffer from mental health problems to return to the community. Alex Teague, aged 26, has lived at Stanley Road since July, and says it has aided his recovery.

"There is no doubt that had I been put back into my own home in the community, I would have not made the progress I have made here," he said.

"After just six months I have received tremendous support and feel ready to move on."

"There is nowhere else like this for the mentally ill to go - I feel sorry for the next generation of patients who may not benefit like I have."

Lee Oliver, an ex-resident who still uses the service, said: "When I came out of hospital, I was in a mess. I didn't know what I had to do. When I was right down, running away from the hospital, the team manager of 2 Stanley Road and the other members of staff sat me down, helped me, and taught me shopping and cooking. It has been a lifesaver for me.

"I don't want to be sat in my flat 24/7, every day of the week. Depending on how I feel, I can come down and see the staff and get away from everything, and that's what I like.

"If they do close it down, where are people going to go? It is a godsend for me."

A county council spokesman said 2 Stanley Road provided an outdated system of care. "If we carry on providing care in this way there is a very real danger that we will no longer qualify for Government funding," he said.

"We understand the residents' concerns because it will mean a change for them. But there are real concerns that, if we don't modernise the care we provide, the decision will be taken out of hands.

"We are inviting the service users to tell us their needs in a three-month consultation period at the moment."