Transforming inpatient mental health services in Bedfordshire and Luton

Public consultation ended on Monday 20 December 2010 on proposals to modernise and improve inpatient mental health services in Bedfordshire and Luton for adults and older people with more severe mental illnesses. The Board of NHS Bedfordshire considered the consultation report at a meeting held in public on 26 January 2011 and gave the green light for the implementation of the proposals. In doing so, the Board approved seven recommendations to ensure the views of consultees will continue to shape implementation over the next two years.

NHS Bedfordshire commissions (plans and buys) local mental health services for Bedfordshire and Luton from South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). SEPT has developed proposals to meet NHS Bedfordshire’s plans for improvements to where and how assessment and admission inpatient mental health services for adults (aged 18 to 64) and older people (aged 65 and over) are provided.

The proposals are solely for assessment and admission inpatient services for adults and older people with more severe mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and dementia. They do not include services for children or for adults and older people with mild to moderate mental health conditions, such as mild depression and anxiety, which are treated in primary care.

What is being proposed

The plans would see some inpatient assessment and admission services move from residential areas in Luton and Houghton Regis to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital site and inpatient services for older people with Alzheimer's disease move from the hospital site to Townsend Court in Houghton Regis.

In Bedford Borough, the plans would see services moving out of Weller Wing at Bedford Hospital to refurbished and new facilities on or near to Bedford Health Village, which used to be the North Wing site of Bedford Hospital.

The main thrust of the changes is to bring currently dispersed services more closely together so staff can work more effectively and link up better with other services, such as social care, housing and employment services that can be so important to people with mental illness.

The refurbished and planned new premises would provide a far better and safer environment for service users. They would also save more than £3 million over three years, which would be used to make further improvements to mental health services, particularly services in the community. If the proposals go ahead, they will be introduced in stages between April 2011 and December 2012.

View the four key aims of the proposals View the proposals in detail

SEPT has committed to invest around £6.2 million to refurbish buildings and build new facilities to enable these proposals to go ahead.

Return to previous consultations page