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Burnley General Hospital’s mental health wards to close by 2015

12:33pm Thursday 19th January 2012 in Health

MENTAL health wards at Burnley General Hospital will finally close to patients in 2015, it has been revealed.

Wards 18 and 20, which currently have 21 male and 22 female beds, will be given a brief reprieve next year.

Temporary accommodation will be provided to cater for East Lancashire patients while refurbishment work is undertaken on the Pendle View and Hill View units at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The move is being undertaken as part of a major review of in-patient beds by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust.

This November will see the start of a process which will see two beds closed per week.

Health chiefs say there is a host of support services in the community, ranging from healthy minds teams to home treatment and community mental health workers, to allow for the reprovision of services.

A Lancashire Care spokesman said in a county council report: “The mental health wards at Burnley are in a multi-storey building with no outdoor space and are not capable of sufficient improvement to provide suitable accommodation for a modern mental health service.”

Ward 19, the 15-bed dementia unit at Burnley, will close by March 2013.

The trusts says the number of beds countywide has already dropped from 122 to 88, over the past four years, and the average length of stay from 100 to 48 days.

Controversy has greeted proposals to make East Lancashire relatives of the most serious dementia cases travel to a new unit called The Harbour in Blackpool.

Comments(9)

Izanears says...
4:08pm Thu 19 Jan 12

First it was the elderly who have been subject to neglect, now it is those suffering with mental problems.
nevr mind what the 'politicians' say, Care in the Community just does not work. Only last week I learned of a man who has mental and mobilty problems and living in the community, having to to be rushed into to hospital with a gangrenous leg. It had to be amputated. He is to be sent home when he has recovered fom his op. I shudder to think how he will cope, because it was struggle for him before!

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Dusty Snatchmonger says...
4:51pm Thu 19 Jan 12

Health chiefs say there is a host of support services in the community.

HaHahahahahhahahahaa
ahaaaargh !

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katypri says...
5:00pm Thu 19 Jan 12

i have a relative now home after 4 months on the wards, and they say there is a host of support WHERE, on saying that the care of the mental health patiences is totally appaulling all pray it doesnt happen to one of your loved ones it has gone backward not forward why because most people have never had to experience it, would rather be in prison they are treated better

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TONY WALES says...
5:08pm Thu 19 Jan 12

Won't be long now before we all get issued with a tin of plasters, a tube of cure everything creme, and a bottle of cough mixture.
If you want anything else, get yourself to Blackburn.
5 years from now, a hospital will not exist in Burnley.

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Moshchops says...
5:19pm Thu 19 Jan 12

It's a shame the affected staff weren't told before this was released and went to print!

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Honest John says...
6:46pm Thu 19 Jan 12

Thank goodness at last a sensible decision, lets hope the facilities are more fitting for the patients and staff, Outside space is a must for the patients most of which are vulnerable and are subject to risk by virtue of their illness which is often manageable with a little help even though somtmes you are the last to appreciate it. The ability to be able to be allowed to freely appreciate the open air and have the feeling of safety and security for both staff and just as importantly patients to enjoy. the world can be a cruel place for those who are unable to cope with lifes trials and tribulations. There are many that seek the freedom of the open road however they are unfortuately unable to cope whith what they meet whilst seeking that pleasure. hopefully less people will come to harm, freedom is a wonderfull thing assuming you are able to cope with the temptations and difficulties thrust upon you.

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Heretical says...
7:17pm Thu 19 Jan 12

I presume this means that there are 88 NHS beds for dementia patients in Lancs as a whole.So where are the rest? In private units?care homes? where the care is so excellent at the minute....wonderful!
Not.

Mental Health Services are already stretched to the absolute limit and it will only get worse....Sit back and watch as more vulnerable folk get shunted into 'care homes' and most awful of all prison because they are not receiving the support and supervision they need.
Don't decide that you need help....you may have to wait a long time before you get assessment!

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kateash says...
7:56am Fri 20 Jan 12

Care in the community does not work as there are not enough staff. If you have been discharged from hospital and you need to contact the Community Matrons at St Peters Burnley you cant get through 9 times out of 10 as it is an answermachine. They then take ages to ring you back by which time the patient deteriorates. Also increasingly now care in the community is being provided by Health care assistants who are not trained nurses! certainly penny pinching again by East Lancs!

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mavrick says...
9:23am Fri 20 Jan 12

Remember the last time the tories were in power, when they closed the big mental institutions in favour of care in the community. when people were being murdered by people who should never have been let out, all we got was "lessons will be learnt" sadly the NHS has been run down to breaking point. are you aware student nurses don't get paid while on placement at the hospital.
I would like to bet the hospital in hitchen which is being run by a private company will be superb as a precurser privatising the NHS as we know it. it will be free at the front door and then they will charge you for everything after that. but that what the tories do, sadly labour can't seem to offer any real alternative. just don't get sick or need help in the next 5 years.

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