VOTE: Call for another option on mental health beds

Mental health service patients in Bognor Regis have spoken out about proposed changes to their services.

A meeting between 26 of the individuals and NHS officials took place as part of the consultation by NHS West Sussex.

NHS West Sussex wants to close a 15-bed unit at the Centurion Mental Health Centre on Graylingwell Drive in Chichester under both options it is considering for the future of the service.

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One of those present at the meeting, Bognor town-centre resident Ron Ockwell, 61, said: "There should be a third option.

"If they are going to close this accommodation, they should open maybe 100 beds that are for people that need to go into hopsital but their psychiatrist doesn't feel they are so urgent."

Mr Ockwell has used mental health services since he was 15 and began to contemplate suicide. "We are losing more and more services. It's disgraceful," he said.

"Care in the community just does not work from my experience.

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"The whole picture of mental health provision needs to be looked at and not just going into hospital."

Another Bognor resident, Hilary Egin, a facilitator between inpatients and health service professionals at Graylingwell Hospital, said: "I thought it was a very constructive meeting and I hope the health service found it productive.

"They assured us they are not going to do anything dramatic until all the new services are in place.

"My main concern is about raising awareness of what there is now available in the community."

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Last Friday's meeting was held by the Bognor-based Capital Project Trust. This exists to improve the lives of people who have, or are currently, experiencing any type of mental of emotional distress.

The NHS in West Sussex wants to close 45 beds in Chichester, Crawley and Haywards Heath for mental health patients.

The intention is to enable more people to stay at home. This is in line with the views of patients and clinicians.

An important part of the change is to improve the range and performance of community mental health services and to introduce standards to make sure the improvements are measured.

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Dominic Ellett, the assistant director of mental health/acute contracting at NHS West Sussex, said comments about the proposals had been received at meetings, workshops and discussions as well in writing, by email and the organisation's website before the June 1 deadline.

This was important to make sure the best decision was taken about the location of future services.

What do you think? Send a letter to [email protected] or leave a comment below.

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