Mental health services blow

Mental health services blow

4 November 2020

THE district is set to lose more key health services under a new centralisation plan.

Senior health officials have confirmed that acute inpatient psychiatric services are to move from the Downe and Downshire hospitals in Downpatrick to a new dedicated base at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

Under the South Eastern Trust proposal, a total of 31 patients will be relocated from Downpatrick, with health officials confirming plans to transfer 25 patients from the Downe Hospital’s inpatient mental health unit.

In addition, a further six patients currently based at the psychiatric intensive care unit at the Downshire Hospital will also be relocated to the Ulster Hospital site, but the move is not expected to take place for some considerable time.

Health officials have confirmed that when patients move from the Downe, the unit where they are currently based will not close and instead be used to provide mental health inpatient rehabilitation services.

Officials insist that the proposal to move patients to the Ulster Hospital reflects the need to provide all inpatient services on a major acute site which has been strategic Department of Health policy for many years.

They also insist that the new service model will deliver a number of benefits to both service users and staff.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard is urging health officials to abandon the proposal. He said acute mental services provided locally were “vitally important for some of our most vulnerable patients”.

The MP said that since the Downe opened in 2009, the modern new facility had been a lifeline for many people locally who benefited not only from its modern facilities and first class healthcare, but from the fact that the hospital is located in the community. 

“The South Eastern Trust has now submitted plans to close this local facility and centralise the acute services in Belfast. This is a retrograde step for local healthcare in the South Down area and should be actively opposed by all,” Mr Hazzard declared.

The MP has raised his concern about the centralisation plan with both the health trust and Stormont health minister Robin Swann, urging them to abandon what he described as “regressive plans” and support acute healthcare for the local community. 

“On the back of the recent failure of the Department of Health and South Eastern Trust to restore emergency services at the Downe Hospital as previously promised, this latest decision will only exacerbate the growing sense of anger and frustration within our community that those in charge of healthcare delivery are proactively working against the needs of the community,” added Mr Hazzard.

The local health trust says it recognises the highly valuable services provided by professionals working in its mental health teams.

“We are committed to ensuring the holistic needs of people with mental health problems are fully met and that we deliver care and treatment to the highest possible standard,” said a spokeswoman.

“It is recognised that the provision of mental health inpatient services on a single location delivers a number of key benefits for both service users and staff, including reduced ward transfers.

“The geographical location and capacity of our acute inpatient invariably means that any service user can be admitted out of their catchment area owing to bed pressures and bed availability,” the spokeswoman explained. 

She said that transferring staff and patients from one hospital setting to another which can involve a journey in excess of 20 miles can be logistically complex.

The spokeswoman said there was a growing body of research that shows that interfaces of care are potential sources of missed communication and subsequently increased risk for such individuals.

The South Eastern Trust said those who are admitted as inpatients with complex healthcare needs will have greater access to the range of services available in an acute general hospital, including neurology and diagnostics services and that patients with serious mental illness are more likely than the general population to have physical health needs.

The organisation says the centralisation of services facilitates a more responsive and flexible staffing model, whereby staff can more easily support colleagues experiencing high levels of demand upon their resources. 

“It is for these key reasons that the South Eastern Trust has developed plans for the provision of a single inpatient service at the Ulster Hospital site,” the spokeswoman added.