USERS of a support centre for vulnerable people fear they could lose the facility, despite reassurances from NHS Oxfordshire.

The Causeway Centre in Bicester supports thousands of people with mental health problems each year.

NHS Oxfordshire is currently looking at what mental health services it will offer in Bicester in the future, and details are due to be released later this month.

At a meeting with health chiefs, Causeway users were told emerging Government policy was moving towards more home-based services instead of drop-in centres.

Although NHS Oxfordshire said there were no plans to close the centre, it acknowledged the way mental health problems are dealt with could be changed in the town – leading users to begin fearing the worst.

They have enlisted the help of Bicester’s MP, Tony Baldry, to try to clarify the situation.

Father-of-two Richard Bast-able, 41, of Middleton Road, Bucknell, near Bicester, suffered post traumatic stress disorder after he was attacked while working as a bus driver.

He said: “The Causeway Centre has been a life-saver. The place gives us social inclusion “It’s the only place you can go – without that place being open, it would lock users in their homes. I was a recluse for about two years before I went to the centre.

“There are difficult stages people can go through and people at the centre understand what you are going through.

“I’m worried it could close. If it does it will ultimately cause a lot of distress for a lot of people. They will find it very hard to carry on.”

The Causeway Centre, which offers help and support for people with mental health problems, is run by Oxfordshire Mind and financed by Oxfordshire County Council and NHS Oxfordshire.

Up to 40 people a day use the centre and in total it caters for more than 6,000 visitors a year.

Mr Baldry has sent a letter to the health authority’s chief executive and plans to meet users in the next few weeks.

He said: “While the community mental health team has a purpose, if you do have mental health problems something like the Causeway Centre is ideal.”

Oxfordshire Mind director Patrick Taylor said: “We will be doing everything we can to help people through this difficult period.

“Mind in Bicester is a great project and we certainly hope it is able to continue the really important work it is doing.”

Last night a spokesman for NHS Oxfordshire said consultation with users had taken place and feedback would be included in a report due out later this month.

The spokesman said: “We will continue to provide quality services in Bicester to keep people well and support them in achieving better mental health. While we have no plans to close the Causeway we cannot guarantee that services in Bicester will continue in the same form as now.”

NHS Oxfordshire is reviewing day services for adults, including those at the Causeway, with its Keeping People Well programme.

Its meeting with centre users on Saturday, January 27, was designed to assess their views on the programme, which will help people with mental health problems recover and manage their own care in the wider community. It also aims to stop them becoming so ill they need specialist services.

Fenella Trevillion, head of joint commissioning at NHS Oxfordshire, said: “I’m very optimistic that future services will reflect what people have told us to help improve their mental well-being and keep them well.”