SWEEPING changes in the care service for mental health patients in East Lancashire were given a massive boost today.

Hospital chiefs have announced work is set to start on a £6.76 million mental health unit in Blackburn next autumn.

Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care Trust was warned to upgrade its mental health care after patient Michael Horner killed his wife Hazel and then committed suicide.

A public inquiry found the authority at fault and drew up a list of improvements for the service.

And the Government also recently announced sweeping reforms following a long-running campaign and a series of high profile cases.

The health authority has announced it has now been given the go ahead for the unit, to be built at Queen's Park Hospital and completed in the spring of 2001. The building will house three wards, each with 20 single rooms, an out-patient department and a treatment suite.

Plans also include an adult day care centre for 40 patients and a special care unit with 12 beds.

The health authority has already been granted planning permission and will ask contractors to tender for the work next summer.

But a question mark still hangs over plans for a rapid response team to deal with emergencies.

The authority still needs to find an extra £200,000 to fund the 24-hour service.

Health trust chief executive John Thomas said: "The approval of this major scheme is tremendous news.

"The new unit will significantly improve the quality of care which we will be able to provide to patients with mental health problems."

He added: "In addition to the new acute unit the trust will continue to seek every opportunity to develop 24 hour community based services as part of the overall strategy to improve mental health services."

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