Consultation on Changes to Mental Health Services
31/08/2006
Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust explained that the difficult decisions taken by its Board today were necessary to ensure that a range of community based mental health services and specialist hospital services continue to be available to those who need them.
The Trust needs to save £9.6 million - £1 for every £8 it spends.
Chief Executive of the Trust, Jeff James said:
“First and foremost we are interested in providing the best possible healthcare we can within the resources available. The approach the Trust has taken is to reshape services for adults and older people to move towards national standards and maintain quality of care for service users whilst reducing costs.”
“We have listened carefully to what our staff, partners and the public have told us and have modified some of our proposals, particularly in relation to day care.”
The Board agreed to support steps to ensure the continuance of Gloucester Clubhouse, a key centre for adult day care in Gloucester and also agreed a new model of NHS day care for adults with alternative forms of support from community workers in recovery teams and use of other local facilities.
In relation to day care for older people, the Board agreed to the recommendation for a new model of care with community workers providing day assessment, treatment and support within community teams: a decision was made to continue to provide services to current users of day hospital services until their needs change or alternative provision is made.
The Board agreed to introduce a network of specialist community teams to support adults with mental health problems, including 24/7 crisis and home treatment service. This change will help to reduce the number of hospital admissions and reduce the length of hospital stay.
The Board agreed to concentrate adult inpatient services at Wotton Lawn, Gloucester with an increased capacity to provide a greater range of therapeutic activities during the week to those requiring inpatient care.
In Older People’s services, the Board acknowledged the value and importance of retaining a network of community based specialist mental health services in the county.
At the same time, the Trust believes it cannot sustain four small inpatient units.
The Board decided that concentrating inpatient services at Charlton Lane in Cheltenham will ensure that the Trust can continue to provide these highly specialist services to the patients who need them.
The Trust recognises that there is community support for development of social enterprise models in Stroud and the Forest of Dean. The Trust is ready and willing to work as a partner with local groups.
The Trust will work with the Primary Care Trusts and the Strategic Health Authority to discuss the potential of these models and will review the situation at its Board meeting on 20 September. With these conditions, the Trust agreed to concentrate older people’s inpatient services onto one site at Charlton Lane Centre, Cheltenham.
The Trust will begin discussions with the Integrated Transport Unit at Gloucestershire County Council to explore what can be done to lessen the transport burden for service users, carers and families.
Chief Executive, Jeff James said:
“The vast majority of our users receive services in their own homes and in the community and so continuing to provide inpatient services on multiple sites would have resulted in a further reduction in community mental health services.”
“We acknowledge the concerns of local people and have had to strike a difficult, but necessary, balance between continuing to provide high quality services to those with the most complex mental health needs and continuing to provide highly valued community services that can often help to avoid crisis situations arising.”
“Despite changes to both adult and older people’s inpatient services, we have no plans to close Colliers Court in the Forest of Dean and Weavers Croft in Stroud and a range of community mental health services will continue to be provided from these facilities.”
The Board agreed to suspend implementation of their decisions until 1st October 2006 to allow for completion of the Strategic Health Authority’s review of savings plans and to consider the social enterprise model further.
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