A secure mental health ward for offenders needing treatment and rehabilitation is to close.
The 10-bed Bedgebury ward, part of the Trevor Gibbens Unit in Maidstone, is to close in January next year at the latest.
The Bedgebury secure mental health ward in the Trevor Gibbens Unit, Maidstone, will close in January in a shake-up in mental health services. Photo: Google Maps
The move comes as its commissioner, Kent and Medway Mental Health (KMMH) NHS trust, says the ward does not meet national standards and better alternatives are now available.
Admissions were paused earlier this year, and only five patients are currently in-situ.
Three are reportedly on a trial leave scheme and are expected to be discharged by the end of September, and the other two by January.
Representatives from KMMH and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) told the Towns’ health committee that the Forensic Outreach and Liaison (FOL) service was more appropriate to deal with treatment.
Dominic Cox, deputy chief commissioning officer at the ICB, said: “The current model with the Bedgebury Ward is not in line with national expectations of rehabilitation, so there is need for change.
Dominic Cox, deputy chief commissioning officer at NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), said the current ward did not meet expected standards and needed to be replaced
“The current proposal is to redirect resources into a more proactive, community-based provision.
“Those resources will be supplemented by additional funding because we’ve recognised the need that is there in this area.”
Rafey Faruqui, clinical director for KMMH, said: “Our FOL service was not there when the Bedgebury ward was developed and implemented in 2016.
“It has taken us time to develop and we’ve now reached a position with it where we can remove Bedgbury without affecting our patient care, both for new patients and current ones.”
He added the new system would see services approaching those in treatment rather than waiting for patients to refer themselves when they were facing problems.
Dr Adrian Richardson director of transformation and partnerships for Kent and Medway Mental Health (KMMH) and Rafey Faruqui, clinical director for KMMH, said the new model would improve the quality of services
Mr Faruqui continued: “This model was actually deployed previously, but subsequently, community-led mental health services funding shrank and so it disappeared.
“There have been a number of high-profile incidents where people who were not followed up by mental health services were involved.
“There is evidence to support this model, you’re not waiting for the person to come to you, you’re going to the person.
“If they don’t take their medication then you see it and you speak with them, rather than discharging them, for example.”
Adrian Richardson, director of transformation and partnerships for KMMH, said there would not be a loss of capacity for services and patients who took longer to recover than was planned would be placed in appropriate wards for further support.
Cllr Dan McDonald (Lab) made clear, whatever the merits of a community-based approach, it could spell costs being transferred from the health service to the council
At the committee meeting on June 16, members questioned whether the timeline to close the ward would rush those patients currently receiving treatment.
They also asked for more financial information and raised the fact a community-led approach would mean a cost to the council as it would be expected to provide specialist accommodation itself.
Committee chair Dan McDonald (Lab) said: “Your decision to save money here – whether that’s right or wrong – I think it’s important for members to know in an emergency some of that cost is picked up by the council.
“By our social care, which is under heavy pressure as it is.”
The Bedgebury Ward is one of five that are part of the Trevor Gibbens Unit, which has a total of 65 beds.
Cllr George Perfect (Con) said he was tired of the committee and others who ought to know about decisions finding out last minute
The committee was also displeased the decision to close the ward was made without consulting the authority or other partners first.
Cllr George Perfect (Con) said: “I don’t understand why this organisation can’t just be transparent when things are going on.
“The chief executive was here in March, the chief executive and the chairperson were here in January.
“We still seem to have this complete nonsense where every time I open papers for this committee, we’ve got some development we’re being told about last minute.
“People keep coming back saying ‘We’re interested in open engagement’ and then we just don’t get it. You come back and say ‘Oh sorry, we forgot to tell you about this’.”
The committee voted to mark the closure of the ward as a significant variation meaning further scrutiny of the move is required.