New mental health ward planned for Basingstoke
It's part of a £3.3m investment across Hampshire
Last updated 23rd Feb 2021
PLANS for new mental health hospital wards in Hampshire have been unveiled.
An 18-bed acute mental health ward will be opened at Parklands Hospital in Basingstoke.
In addition a 10-bed psychiatric intensive care ward is set to be opened at Antelope House in Southampton.
Both wards would provide mental health support to women in a bid to prevent the need for treatement outside Hampshire.
The £3.3m investment has been announced by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
It comes as in 2019 official documents revealed that between April 2018 and April 2019 the trust placed mental health patients in hospitals not run by Southern Health on 698 occasions, racking up a bill of £12.6m.
Last summer the trust said the numbers of the so-called out of area placement had started to drop.
Grant Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer at Southern Health, said:
“Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, we will start building work shortly and our aim is to open the wards in the Summer of 2021. We know there is a need for these beds in Hampshire and we are looking forward to being able to care for people closer to home in the best possible therapeutic environment.”
He said the trust is working with staff, carers and families to design the wards.
Of the £3.3m investment, £700,000 will go towards the new Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Abbey Ward at Antelope House.
The unit will support people who need a high level of care for a relatively short period of time.
The new ward at Parklands Hospital in Basingstoke will instead be an acute mental health ward.
Southern Health said this will provide support to people who require less intensive support than a PICU.
A total of £2.7m will be invested in this scheme.
The Trust said the move follows a £9.5m grant from government.
Southern Health provides mental health and community services to people across Hampshire.