DISABLED people devastated when a hydrotherapy pool was shut without consultation say they were “disappointed and let down” when the service was cut.

Members of the Wanstead branch of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) are hoping to see the pool at Whipps Cross, in Leytonstone, reopened over fears it’s not been properly though through.

Users were told the pool would be drained and concreted over in June.

Peter Stanley, member of the Save Our Spines action group, said he feels his arthritis more when he does not have treatment.

Mr Stanley said: “I am feeling my AS in my shoulders and feel it more when I don’t have the hydrotherapy so there is a significant impact on myself.

“For me, the hydrotherapy is essential. I feel the effects by not having the hydrotherapy because I haven’t got the flexibility and movement as I would if I had the hydrotherapy.

“Without the hydrotherapy the benefits are not the same. I can’t move the same way as I do when I have hydrotherapy.

“We have used the hydrotherapy followed by land-based activities which works well because hydrotherapy loosens you up.

He said: “I think the problem with Barts is I don’t feel they’ve done things properly. There was no consultation with us whatsoever. They just ended up closing the pool. We knew they planned to close the pool on a temporary basis.

“We felt trust management had been running down the pool because eventually we were the only ones using it and we felt suspicious about that.”

A group of nearly 60 patients relied on the pool for treatment and they have now been advised to travel around five miles to Mile End for treatment.

But this was not deemed suitable for those with the most serious mobility issues, who struggle to travel long distances.

Furthermore, there are no lifts at Mile End Station making it impossible for people to get there on public transport.

Mr Stanley spoke enthusiastically about the possibility of hydrotherapy returning to Whipps.

He said: “It would be fantastic if it would be reinstated. The action group would say that is what we are asking for. We want it there to give us the support. We desperately want it back.”

Users suffer from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a type of arthritis which causes long-term inflammation of the spine. It tends to develop in teenagers and young adults.

Symptoms include back pain and stiffness, swelling caused by inflamed joints and fatigue.

The group has gained cross-party support from MPs for their campaign to reinstate the pool, which Peter describes as being “in quite good condition.”

Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford North, John Cryer, MP for Leyton and Wanstead and Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, have all lent their backing.

Wanstead branch members of NASS were told the pool would be drained and concreted over in June.

Campaigners used hydrotherapy facilities at Wanstead Hospital until it shut in 2008. They then moved to Whipps Cross.

A spokeswoman for Barts Health Trust said: "The number of patients needing the hydrotherapy pool on the NHS has significantly reduced in recent years - a forty per cent reduction in the last year alone - meaning it is no longer a good use of public funds to maintain it in a safe condition.

"We are exploring alternative options for the use of this valuable space in the hospital, and will reinvest the £20,000 saved each year into other front-line NHS services.

"We are speaking to patients to make sure we understand the full impact of a permanent closure and identify a suitable alternative for them to use.
 
"We know that a small number of people with Ankylosing Spondylitis - around 20 people - have used the pool on a private basis. We met with this group in August to hear their views and as part of our continued discussions we have invited them to visit Mile End Hospital to review the pool there as one alternative option."