Crosfield House

Written by Kirsty Williams AM and published in County Times 13th June 2008 on Tue 17th Jun 2008

In recent weeks there has been much discussion about how we value our armed forces. Are they paid enough? Are their families adequately supported when they are away on tours of duty, and most importantly of all do we look after properly them if they are wounded and maimed? The government has faced a great deal of criticism from many quarters that there are inadequate facilities for the treatment of wounded troops, and rightly so. After all it was the government that sent these young people to Iraq and Afghanistan the least they can do now is look after them.

It is this desire to look after ex service men and women, that has made the Royal British Legion such a well-known organisation the length and breadth of the Country. They have provided fellowship, help and support for generations and not just for the casualties of our current conflicts. At a local level we have seen at first hand this wonderful care and support in the form of Crosfield House the Royal British Legions care home in Rhayader. For many years the home has provided almost 60 beds for ex service personnel and the elderly that need residential or dementia care. But know there is a serious threat to the future of Crosfield House with the Royal British Legion announcing a short consultation that will culminate with the fate of the home being decided at a meeting of their London Trustees later this month.

This consultation has been met to date with fierce resistance from local people who are only too aware of the importance of this home not just to the current residents but those that will need this care in the future. I share their outrage, and will be doing all I can to work with local people to ensure that the royal British Legion in London changes its mind and keeps Crosfield House open. To do anything else would be for them to turn their back not just on Rhayader and Powys but the whole of Wales, as this is the only home they operate in the Principality. Given Wales's contribution to the armed forces over the centuries this is unthinkable.

As a County with an ageing population we simply cannot let cuts like this happen. Forward projections show that as medicine becomes more adept at keeping us alive for longer many more of us will succumb to conditions that to date cannot be cured such as Alzheimer's.

Of course like many of these things it comes down to money. The Royal British Legion says it cannot afford to keep the service going and the Council says it cannot afford to pay anymore. This begs the question, how are we to care for all our citizens, ex service men or not? The current system for caring for our elderly is unfair and creaking at the seems. It must be reformed before any more people are forced to sell their homes to pay for care or are placed at the mercy of care home providers who can shut up shop whenever they like.