As reported by the BBC, the new mental health facilities in Derbyshire aims to reduce the number of patients having to travel outside the county for care
Two new 54-bed inpatient units are to be built in Derby and Chesterfield and it is hoped they will improve safety, privacy and dignity for psychiatric patients by eliminating dormitory-style accommodation. The developments are due to open in 2025.
The facilities, at the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, are being built in the grounds of Kingsway Hospital, in Derby, and the Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
Due to the current lack of an intensive care unit for the most unwell mental health patients in Derby and Derbyshire, patients have had to travel out of the area for care, as far afield as Weston-super-Mare and Bradford.
In 2022, 98 patients requiring intensive care had to be sent outside the area.
Trust chair Selina Ullah said: “These developments will transform local health services, by providing private en-suite bedrooms for acute mental health patients in hospital and by reducing the number of people who need to be cared for outside of Derbyshire.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are determined to eradicate outdated mental health dormitories across England.
“Already over 500 dormitory style beds have been replaced across the country.”
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