31/03/2020
Gary Mason
Flint House in temporary shut-down but reaches out to local force to provide catering and accommodation fall back
The Police Rehabilitation Centre near Goring-on-Thames, which provides residential care for ill and injured police officers, was closed last week for the first time in its 130-year history because of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Some 140 patients were receiving treatment when the Flint House centre took the decision to close on 17 March but the physical rehabilitation and mental health teams are continuing to provide support by streaming exercise and treatment videos through the You Tube channel and its website, a spokesman for the centre told Police Oracle.
While it is closed to new patients, the centre’s catering facilities have been offered to the local resilience forum and there are ongoing discussions with Thames Valley Police about how the centre can assist them and the wider police community over the next few weeks.
Police Oracle understands that these discussions include the possibility of providing accommodation for police officers who need it.
The centre’s CEO Commander Tom McAuslin said there is minimum staffing on site for safety and security and several staff members both clinical and non-clinical have volunteered to assist the NHS and wider community.
He added: “Flint House and its previous locations has provided healthcare support to the police service for the past 130 years and will continue to do so when the Coronavirus situation is resolved. To protect the police officers who attend for treatment and the staff who look after them the decision was made to close the Centre on 17 March. This is the first time in the history of the charity through 2 World Wars, 1918 Influenza Epidemic, 1926 General Strike and other key events that the doors are not open to care for ill and injured police officers.”
Mr McAuslin said he is very appreciative of the positive comments that the Centre has received from police chiefs, federation offices, staff associations and police officers “during these unprecedented times.”
He said that Flint House will reopen as soon as is safe to do so.
Flint House has a big programme or renovation work ongoing including the construction of a new swimming therapy pool.
It treats injured and ill officers from the 20 or so forces in the south while a separate facility in Harrogate caters for northern forces
Flint House also helps officers recuperating from stress, anxiety and depression.
The centre is situated in 20 or so acres of Chiltern Hills countryside near Goring-on-Thames. It has capacity for up to 150 patients who are all provided with en suite bedrooms during their stay which is normally for two weeks.