Moorlands MP, Karen Bradley has welcomed North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust’s announcement of £15 million for acute and community mental health services.
The £15 million investment dwarfs any previous single investment in acute and community mental health services across North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The results of this record investment will begin next year and continue until 2025.
The investment will deliver:
· Over £10m to reconfigure inpatient estates, ensuring modern fit for purpose estate including the eradication of dormitories on wards and modern Learning Disability services
· £1.3 million investment in a new CAMHS intensive support team to bridge the gap between community teams and the inpatient unit. The team will work 7 days a week supporting CYP and their families/carers
· £750,000 investment in Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services to expand the service and roll out an 'At Risk Mental State' (ARMS) pathway
· £550,000 to provide the first ever, dedicated service for Adult Eating Disorders, providing care that has simply not been available for local residents previously
· £500,000 investment in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to eliminate the need for patients to be sent out of the local area for this level of care
· £350,000 of new money to strengthen community pathways and access to treatment for those with Personality Disorders
· £160,000 to expand care for people with severe and enduring mental illness, rolling out annual physical health checks in order to help service users take care of their physical health as well as their mental health
Commenting Karen said,
“I know that local people will join me in welcoming the announcement of £15m for acute and community mental health services. This is such good news for the Moorlands and surrounding areas.”
Combined Healthcare Chief Executive, Peter Axon, said:
"At a time when our communities and our health and care services are facing the unprecedented challenge of Covid-19, it's simply amazing to be able to make history for all the right reasons.
"This multi-million investment is beyond anything seen before in mental health acute and community services in North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. It's a once in a generation opportunity to deliver something truly remarkable which will benefit our communities and local people for decades to come.
"We are determined not only to deliver the best services possible, but also to design and deliver them through the strongest ever engagement and partnership with our staff and service users. For example, through an initiative introduced directly as a result of one of our Patient Stories, we will have a service user who has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user directly advising us on the specific design needs of people of people with similar needs. Likewise, our CAMHS and Learning Disability Teams will be engaging with their service users to learn from their insights and experience, to ensure every penny of this investment is spent to the best possible benefit of the people and families we serve."
