Loss of mental health beds after £6.3m sale

The sale of a former asylum will result in the loss of 15 hospital beds for mental health patients, an NHS trust has confirmed.

Kent and Medway Partnership Trust (KMPT) has sold the Victorian building on its St Martin’s site in Littlebourne Road, Canterbury.

It was built in 1902 as a mental health asylum and still houses an operational ward alongside newer neighbouring facilities.

But it has now been snapped up for £6.32m by Homes England, which has planning permission for 164 homes on the site.

The sale will result in the closure of Cranmer ward, which cares for adults over 65 with mental illnesses or conditions such as dementia.

These older patients will now be moved to Samphire, an acute ward in a newer St Martin’s wing caring for men aged 18 to 65 struggling with severe conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or psychosis, which will be renamed Heather.

Vincent Badu, KMPT’S deputy chief executive, says a £2.5m upgrade will equip the ward to care for adults of all ages and deliver “improvements”.

“The key thing for us is that the fabric of the old building doesn’t support us to support patients in the best way possi- ble,” he said.

“Staff are providing good quality care within this environment, but this is about modernising these facilities.

“We want to work closely with our clinical teams, patients and their carers, so that they are clear about these changes we are making, why we are making them, and how we will support them.”

The trust also plans to open a new ‘support and signposting’ unit at Priority House in Maidstone from April, where up to four patients can be admitted for 24 hours while care and further help is arranged, as well as expanding a 24/7 “patient flow” team which monitors bed capacity.

But campaigners fear that any loss of acute mental health beds could lead to vulnerable patients who could pose a risk to themselves or other people slipping through the net.

Canterbury’s Labour MP Rosie Duffield said: “During the closure of the old asylum building and the new available investment in other areas, it is vital that KMPT ensures bed capacity isn’t lost.

“I also hope that patient groups are involved in consultations and decision-making processes and that transitions will be as smooth as possible. I will be keeping in touch with the team at St Martin’s to see how this all progresses.”

Helen Whately, the Conservative MP for Faversham and chair of the mental health AllParty Parliamentary Group said: “I understand why people are worried and I’m seeking reassurance from the Trust that it will not mean any loss of services for mental health patients. In fact, what I hope is that it will mean improved care in better facilities.

“I want to see really good accommodation for mental health patients, coupled with excellent care – at least as good as you would expect to receive for physical health problems.”

n What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk.