Revamp plans set for Murray Royal
Future of adult mental health service at hospital
Key mental health services provided for adults in Perth and Kinross are on course to be pulled out from Murray Royal Hospital to ensure safety for patients and staff.
General adult psychiatry (GAP) acute admissions would be centralised in Dundee’s Carseview Centre in a move away from sites including the Moredun unit at MRH.
But the Perth hospital is expected to become the single site for learning disability provision, again paring back the existing arrangement around Tayside.
The moves are part of a proposed revamp - classed as the preferred option - which will be put in front of NHS Tayside bosses next week after it was sent out for consideration in 2016. Four options were set out at the time.
If approved, the next step would be further consultation, with the public, from July 3.
NHS Tayside Medical Director Professor Andrew Russell said: “It has long been recognised that providing GAP services across three sites is not a sustainable model of care for our patients.
“Patient safety is our overriding priority and to ensure we can continue to deliver a high quality of care, it has been necessary to look at the way we provide these services and look at alternative models of care through the redesign programme.
From this it has become clear that a one-site model for both GAP and LD services would be the most sustainable option.
“We would encourage members of the public to take part in the consultation and share their views on the proposed future models of care for mental health and learning disabilities services in Tayside.”
NHS Tayside’s board will meet on Thursday, June 29 to consider the revamp, which forms part of the Mental Health and Learning Disability Services Redesign Transformation Programme.
Currently there are three sites Murray Royal, Carseview in Dundee and Mulberry in Angus- which provide GAP services.
Since February however the Mulberry ward has been based at Carseview because of a shortage of junior doctors.
Engagement events were held last year with service users, carers, staff, and voluntary and third sector organisations to identify and consider a range of options to provide these GAP services on one site and on two sites in Tayside as requested by Tayside NHS Board.
Participants also considered options for future Learning Disability (LD) inpatient services which are currently based at two other sites in Tayside, but these would be moved to Rohallion in Perth.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside added: “The option also makes the most efficient use of our workforce and would maximise the number of posts available for transfer to local community services. Murray Royal Hospital
“The proposed model will allow remodelling and reinvestment in community workforce to provide enhanced services to the majority of the population and prevent unnecessary admissions for both GAP and LD services.”
The revamp is currently being presented to NHS Tayside committees, Tayside NHS Board, and Dundee and Angus Integration Joint Boards before going to Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board on - Friday, June 30 for final approval to move forward with a public consultation. Following approval, the consultation period will begin on Monday, July 3 and will run until Tuesday, October 3.
The new service model will be considered at the end of the period with Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board to make a final decision.
Information about the consultation will be available at www. taysidementalhealthredesign.scot. nhs.uk where the public will be able complete an online questionnaire and share their view.