Closure beckons for iconic hospital

Closure beckons for iconic hospital

11 December 2013

THE last of the remaining psychiatric patients at the iconic Downshire Hospital are expected to leave the sprawling complex next year.

Eighteen long-stay patients moved recently from the psychiatric unit to new supported living accommodation just a stone’s throw away at the Ardglass Road which opened last week.

The new unit for patients with complex mental health needs provides them with modern surroundings, a world away from the out-dated accommodation they left behind at the Downshire.

It’s expected that it won’t be long before the remaining patients at the psychiatric unit, which at its height gained international recognition for its care, will also be leaving the complex.

The new supported living accommodation has been provided as a result of joint partnership between the Oaklee Homes Group, South Eastern Trust and the Housing Executive. Oaklee provided just over £500,000 for the capital build with the remaining revenue funding provided by the Trust and the Executive.

The new building, which was previously a 20-bed residential care unit for those with a learning disability, has been completely restructured. It now provides supported living accommodation for former Downshire patients in three four-bed bungalows and one six-bed bungalow.

Following comprehensive assessments, the patients previously based at the Downshire were identified as being suitable for the new 24-hour supported living environment in the community.

The prospective tenants, families and staff worked together to ensure a smooth transition from the Downshire. Ward staff and occupational therapists prepared the tenants to do everyday things like shopping, cooking, managing money and catching a bus. Key lifeskills long forgotten during their stay at the Downshire.

The new tenants were also closely involved in planning the colour schemes and choosing furnishings for their new home.

Over the past 25 years, there has been a major transformation of how mental health services are provided, with the impetus away from hospital based treatment.

The South Eastern Trust says the change in direction for mental health services has released resources to develop more services in the community.

The organisation says for many patients, ward 29 had been home for the past 15 years, with patients living and eating their meals together, sleeping in large dormitories and sharing bathrooms.

The new accommodation provides them with independence and a “home of their own” and while they are still settling into their new surroundings, staff say initial evaluation shows a significant increase in their well-being.

Trust chairman, Mr. Colm McKenna, who performed the official opening of the new accommodation, said the very difficult transition proved to be “seamless,” largely due to the support of staff who transferred with the patients, making it a true home from home.

Oaklee Group chief executive, Mr. Ian Elliott, said the organisation is delighted to work in partnership with the Trust and the Housing Executive “to bring to fruition this exciting new service which will enable adults with a mental illness to live more independent lives in their local community.”

Following its opening in October 1869, the Downshire at its peak was home to 1,200 patients and hundreds of staff. The once vibrant building, which was one of the district’s major employers, has been at the heart of psychiatric care for almost 145 years.

When patients were admitted they often spent the rest of their days at the Downshire. But the psychiatric unit’s role has diminished over the years as patients were moved into the community.

The transformation of mental health services has been an evolving process over many decades and soon the imposing Downshire building — which was home to a Victorian asylum — will not have a single psychiatric patient left.

The sprawling complex is rapidly developing as Northern Ireland’s first public sector campus, but it remains one of the district’s major employers and is home to Down Council, the Housing Executive and Fire and Rescue Service. Work also started recently on a new multi-million pound PSNI district command headquarters.