"Carlisle ward day-room locked off"

About two weeks ago, the day-room on my ward (Carlisle) was locked off unless it was manned by staff. Prior to this, the day-room was unrestricted to patients (all day). We had the freedom to play games, play table tennis and access our lockers. This made sense as this ward was supposed to be a low dependency ward. But the powers that be decided to change this. Frankly, it makes no sense because there have been no violent incidents on the ward since it has been open due to there being a good atmosphere on the ward and the staff managing the ward well. Additionally, there are CCTV cameras to monitor the day-room, which can be observed from the office.

I believe this change in the day-room being restricted impacts our mental health because there are less activities to do to occupy the mind and relieve stress. Also, it impacts our ability to socialise as freely as possible.

We, as patients, would politely request that this restriction should be cancelled as soon as possible. If not, then, we would appreciate having more staff made available to the ward to keep the day-room open for as long as possible.