Doctors prefer to keep dementia care local

DOCTORS say their preferred option is to keep inpatient dementia care in the town - and to move beds for patients with mental health issues to Chester.

They say that the majority of acute mental health care provision for adults would be provided through enhanced community support services.

Dr Ian Hulme, who is NHS Eastern Cheshire lead for Mental Health, said it’s too expensive to bring the Millbrook Unit’s current facilities up to standards required by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

He said: “The care given at Millbrook is very good but unfortunately the constrictions of the building - because of its old fashioned design - mean it cannot be brought up to modern standards. Unfortunately the building is not fit for purpose.”

He added that the majority of mental health services can be provided within the community but Dementia patients need inpatient care.

He said: “In Cheshire there is a much older population than the national average. When they get into crisis there is only one option and that’s hospital.

“What we know is that 50 per cent of people admitted for inpatient services [for acute mental health] don’t need to be in [the beds], but at the moment there’s nothing else we can do. Ninetyfive pc of all mental health care is in the community.”

Dr Hulme added that there has also been a 35pc increase in demand for mental health care since 2010.

He said: “Unfortunately that increase in demand hasn’t been met. There is a lack of capacity in crisis care and something must be done.”

Dr Anushta Sivananthan, consultant psychiatrist and medical director at CWP, said the reorganised service would enable them to enhance community and home treatment teams for adults in Macclesfield, with the potential for six local short stay beds, a crisis cafe and more mental health nurses in the community.

She said: “There are approximately 5,000 people in the community [requiring secondary mental health support] at any one time and with a wide range of issues. Part of our job is making sure that we that we support them effectively to make sure they don’t get into crisis. With more mental health professionals in place it would mean people are more able to have more choice.”

She added: “What is important is that we really want people engaged in this decision. We want people to work with us to come up with the right decision.”