Decision details

Improvements to Mental Health provision in Lancashire

Decision Maker: Health Scrutiny Committee

Decision status: Recommendations approved

Is Key decision?: No

Decisions:

The Chair welcomed from the Lancashire Care Foundation Trust (LCFT), Bev Liddle, Team Leader; Alistair Rose, Projects Director; and Steve Winterson, Engagement Director, to the meeting. They presented to the Committee on the planned changes for mental health inpatient provision in the Pennine Lancashire and Central Lancashire areas. A copy of the presentation was provided with the agenda papers.

 

The planned changes represented the next phase of improvements to mental health provision in Lancashire that commenced with a formal consultation in 2006, which was formally signed off by the Joint Primary Care Trust, the Joint Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn Mental Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee in Spring 2017 and the launch of a ten year programme of reconfiguration.

 

There were two main challenges in Lancashire. Recruitment of staff was one. The other was the demand on services. From the presentation it was noted that in Lancashire, GP referrals were 2.7 x the national average. The Committee was informed that this was not because GPs were doing anything wrong, but how the Trust can support a GP to address the mental health need at that point such as placing mental health nurses into practices. It was reported that referrals had reduced to 2.2x the national average and that officers expected the number to continue to reduce.

 

Lancashire had slightly below the mean number of beds for its population. However, the planned changes would allow people to be referred closer to home and speed up access to services particularly in the criminal justice system. Enhanced community services for those people who would not require an inpatient bed was key to the success of reconfiguration.

 

It was reported that the planned changes would be completed by the end of 2018.

 

Resolved: That the;

 

1.  Planned changes for a site in Pennine Lancashire remain the original proposal as previously supported by the Joint Lancashire Health Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 13 November 2012 be noted; and

2.  Planned changes for a site in Central Lancashire to be located at the former mental health inpatient accommodation the Chorley Hospital site be supported.

 

Report author: Gary Halsall

Date of decision: 12/12/2017

Decided at meeting: 12/12/2017 - Health Scrutiny Committee

Accompanying Documents: