Agenda item

Report by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The report outlines proposals to improve mental health services in West Sussex.

9.1     The Committee considered a report by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (copy appended to the signed minutes) which was introduced by Matt Powls, Director of Commissioning – Mental Health, Crawley and Horsham & Mid Sussex CCGs who told the Committee that the changes were particularly around services for people with dementia, older people and working age adults and that there would be no reduction in bed numbers.

9.2     Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·         Dementia beds were being consolidated in to one unit to provide a better service

·         Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Clinical Strategy aimed to transform community services to keep people well and out of hospital and was developing models to put in place once it had the money to do so

·         The Committee was concerned about the effect changes would have on people in rural areas

·         A group involving the Council had looked at travel implications and views on this would be sought during consultation

·         Healthwatch would be involved in engagement before there was any public engagement

·         Public consultation would be analysed by independent consultants – staff would be consulted after this

·         Staff had mixed views on the proposals – there was a large number of people retiring at the same time – mental health graduates were being employed

·         The proposals should improve quality of in-patient care through the centre of excellence which should help recruitment and retention

·         Community services would be developed in parallel to the changes in mental health services with existing wards remaining open until the new services had bedded-in

·         Staff were being recruited to fill roles needed in community services

·         More crisis lounges were being established where people could be assessed therapeutically and there was a psychiatric decision unit at Brighton that helped avoid admissions to hospital (the clinical commissioning groups were bidding for crisis care money)

·         The police and ambulance service would take people to the psychiatric decision unit (Brighton was chosen as the location for this service as it is for East and West Sussex)

·         People would stay a maximum of 72 hours at the psychiatric decision unit and be taken home afterwards

·         Crisis teams would get more investment than other services as they were currently under funded – recruitment to the teams had begun

·         Crisis teams would work with community teams and go to rural areas

·         The Dementia and Later Life teams were coming back together to provide better care

·         The Oaklands ward at the Harold Kidd Unit, Chichester would stay open as it was a single sex ward

·         Whilst some beds might go from some areas this would be compensated for by nine beds being gained from Surrey and borders – it was expected that the service would run at 80% bed occupancy

·         The Committee wanted to see the results of engagement/consultation and the travel analysis and had concerns over how rural areas would be affected

9.3     Resolved – that the Committee: -

     i.        Considers the proposals as set out in the report as a substantial variation in service and that a full consultation should take place ensuring that Healthwatch is included throughout

    ii.        Encourages all members of the committee to respond to the consultation, especially local members where services are currently located

   iii.        Requests that the outcome of the consultation and any final proposals are considered by the committee at its November meeting