Improvements planned for mental health services in West Sussex

Mental health services in West Sussex are to be reviewed to help improve community services and the quality of NHS accommodation.

In a joint statement this week, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Groups said they were considering ways to improve mental health services for adults and older people in West Sussex.

As part of that work, the county must also comply with national guidance on eliminating mixed sex wards.

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The review is set to include two wards at the Harold Kidd Unit and Oaklands Ward, both in Chichester, one ward at Horsham Hospital, three wards at Langley Green Hospital, Crawley, three wards at Meadowfield Hospital and one ward at The Burrowes – both at the Swandean site in Worthing.

A public consultation on proposals, which have not yet been decided, is due to be held later in the year.

A spokesman for the Trust and CCG said: “This work is being driven by a number of key principles.

“First, there is ever increasing pressure on mental health services, both nationally and locally. We want to strengthen community services to enable people to receive more care and support at home, avoiding hospital admission unless it is absolutely necessary.

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“On top of this, some of our NHS buildings – like many NHS buildings across the country – are very old and require significant work to bring them up to modern standards.

“We need to explore how we can best meet these challenges while continuing to provide patients with the highest quality care.

“We also need to comply with national guidance on eliminating mixed sex wards.

“Both of these will give patients the safety, privacy and dignity they deserve.

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“We are in the process of developing our proposals. We must stress that nothing has been decided.

“Any proposed changes to services will be subject to a full public consultation later in the year where we will invite everyone to have their say.”