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Pictured: Robert Mackie, Chief Executive, Mark Yates, Chair, with members of the ward team and Senior Project Manager, Jim Rowley from Galliford Try.

The unveiling of Mortimer, a 20-bed acute mental health ward marks the completion of the eliminating dormitories programme in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The opening is the latest in a series of projects led by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust designed to enhance environments for patients in need of hospital-based mental health treatment.
 
The Trust, which leads the delivery of mental health and learning disability services locally, has engaged in several multi-million-pound projects focused on improving the safety, privacy and dignity of patients experiencing mental ill-health. 
 
Over the past three years, all inpatient wards within the Stonebow Unit in Hereford have benefited from the ‘eliminating dormitories’ investment; a national programme to remove shared sleeping quarters from mental health units in England. The funding has facilitated the design of purpose-built ensuite bedrooms, concentrating on the individual needs of their varying patient groups.
 
The wards have been meticulously designed with input from clinical experts, creating therapeutic environments that maximise safety for both patients and staff. 
 
Similarly, wards at the Elgar Unit in Worcester – also run by the Trust, have benefited from this scheme. Outdated dormitory-style accommodation has been demolished, making way for two bespoke mental health wards, featuring contemporary facilities, together with private, ensuite bedrooms for each patient. 
 
The new facilities are expected to support patient recovery while ensuring privacy and dignity, helping to reduce overall length of stay in hospital.
 
“Investing in our mental health portfolio helps to ensure that those requiring inpatient mental health treatment in Herefordshire and Worcestershire receive high-quality care, in purpose-built facilities as close to home as possible”, explains Dr John Devapriam, Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive for the Trust.
 
“We are committed to ensuring our wards and inpatient areas continue to reflect the latest best practice and highest standards of safety, while providing patients with a range of therapeutic interventions and activities designed to support their recovery goals.”
 
Earlier this year the Trust invested almost £1 million to refurbish the psychiatric intensive care ward and ‘Place of Safety’ suite located within the Elgar Unit; specialist facilities used to keep people experiencing acute mental health issues safe while they undergo assessment.
 
This investment drives forward ambitions to develop two specialist mental health centres at the Stonebow Unit in Herefordshire, and the Elgar Unit in Worcestershire. A move that will bring inpatient mental health services together in bespoke facilities that focus on patient safety and achieving clinical outcomes. 
 
In Worcestershire, this also includes the relocation of Hill Crest, a working-aged adult acute treatment ward. The ward has faced ongoing challenges due to its stand-alone location and outdated building, which cannot be adapted to meet the latest standards for acute mental health inpatient care.

Following a consultation involving patients, staff and members of the public, the Trust announced plans to relocate services from Redditch to a more suitable ward within the Elgar Unit. Staff and patients are expected to transfer to the new ward in early December.
 
The creation of two mental health centres and the co-location of inpatient wards is anticipated to enhance the safety and overall experience for both patients and staff.