Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mental Health inpatient care in Wiltshire

BBC NEWS printed this article toady regarding the closure of MH beds in Wiltshire

Devizes mental health hospital to close 30 unused beds

Twenty beds are to close at a psychiatric hospital in Wiltshire under a plan to treat more mental health patients in the community.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership said the beds, at Green Lane Hospital, Devizes, were amongst 30 going empty in the county every week.
It claimed many patients had voiced preference for being treated at home.
Clinical director Dr Julie Hankin said the money saved by the bed closures would be re-invested in the service.

"We're spending public money on keeping beds open which aren't being used and we feel this is a fantastic chance to use that money more effectively," she said.
"The money is being invested in other parts of the service, so although it's about efficiencies, it's not about ripping money out of the service."

Karen Frayling, from the mental health support charity, Alabare Include, said that while she supported the care of patients in their home environment, there were concerns that some could "fall through the gap".

"What we don't want to see are people who are too unwell for our community-based service, but aren't poorly enough to need to be in hospital," she said.
"Nobody wants that group of people not to receive a service."

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Well the plan is I am lead to believe that all in-care be undertaken at Salisbury , one imagines at the Fountain Way site , this does make good financial sense but has any one considered the social cost of this ?

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