MLA seeks local base for mental health unit

MLA seeks local base for mental health unit

2 September 2015

SOUTH Down MLA Chris Hazzard wants Downpatrick to be considered as the base for a new centre of excellence for mental health services.

His call comes after a coroner recently recommended the South Eastern Trust build such a facility following the death of Patrick Campbell (26) who tragically took his own life in the grounds of Dundonald’s Ulster Hospital in 2013.

Recommending that the health trust builds a new purpose-built mental health unit, the coroner said she also recognised the difficulties of striking the balance between a therapeutic and a restrictive environment.

“The serious weaknesses endemic in the structure of the South Eastern Health Trust, identified by the coroner, are something that need to be taken on board. Downpatrick should be given serious consideration as a the location to establish a mental health services centre of excellence,” he continued.

“The Downshire site should be looked at immediately. Downpatrick has a long and proud history of mental health services. We should look to build upon that in the years ahead by locating mental health services here.”

Mr Hazzard said the health trust would do well to send a “positive statement” to the people of Downpatrick building the new mental health unit in the town.

The Trust has expressed its “sincere condolences” to Mr Campbell’s family and agreed with the coroner’s findings “that mental health services strike a balance between creating a positive, therapeutic environment to aid recovery, and implementing measures to keep patients safe.”

In a statement, the organisation said people “may always be able to find means to leave a general psychiatric ward without the agreement of staff.”

The Trust also confirmed it had “undertaken a number of therapeutic measures aimed at reducing any patient’s potential thoughts of absconding” and that these had produced “encouraging results with a significant reduction in the number of patients who abscond.”

The statement said while the organisation cannot comment on the particular circumstances surrounding any individual’s death, all suicides involving patients who have been receiving care and treatment from the trust are reviewed by the Department of Health.

The statement adds: “This process provides a mechanism to effectively share learning in a meaningful way; with a focus on safety and quality; ultimately leading to service improvement for service users.

“We can confirm that a serious adverse incident review has been completed and the lessons learnt and the recommendations made in this case have been implemented. The Trust concurs with the views of the coroner that a purpose built, inpatient mental health unit, would benefit the treatment of our patients in an open ward environment.”