Issue - items at meetings - Mental Health Beds- September Update

31.1         Dr Becky Jarvis, GP Lead for Mental Health, Brighton and Hove CCG and Sam Allen, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, presented HWOSC members with a written update on the bed reduction programme at Mill View Hospital and answered members’ queries.

31.2         Dr Jarvis said that the planed date for moving patients into the renovated ward (Meridian) outlined at point 7.2 in the report had since been revised to end of January 2013. The windows at Millview need to be replaced because they have a red ligature risk rating so the Trust had decided to use the capacity on Meridian ward as a way of replacing the windows a ward at a time rather than a few beds on each ward at a time. This would reduce clinical risks for the patients. The move of Churchill Ward to Meridian would then proceed in the New Year.

31.3         Mr Watkins for the LINk said that he had been to a meeting at Millview recently and he had been very impressed with the feeling that was being engendered by management there. People with mental health problems were as much a part of our society as anyone else. Mr Watkins welcomed the proposals for investment in the paper and also sounded continued caution regarding the reduction in bed numbers due to increasing economic pressures and the impact they are having on the public.

31.4         Councillor Cox said that he was very pleased with the proposals and fully supported them.

31.5         Mr Soud for the Youth Council asked what would happen if the current realigned service did not work out as hoped. Dr Jarvis said that in that situation, they would have to re-open the beds as they had committed to not making a permanent decision until they could ensure that the new service worked.

31.6         Members thanked Dr Jarvis and Ms Allen for their presentation.