Mental health ward move marks end of hospital era
PATIENTS at an inpatient mental health unit in Mid Argyll will be moved to another hospital in Lochgilphead, NHS Highland has revealed.
The news came on Wednesday that Succoth ward, based at Argyll and Bute Hospital in Lochgilphead, will close and in-patients will be moved to the ground floor of Mid Argyll Community Hospital and Integrated Care Centre, also in Lochgilphead.
The decision comes one-week after the merger of two dementia units at Mid Argyll hospital. Last Wednesday patients of the Glassary ward, a dementia assessment unit, were moved to Knapdale ward, an ongoing dementia care unit, because Glassary ward was running well under capacity, according to NHS Highland.
The space now created due to Glassary ward being empty will be used to transfer inpatients from Argyll and Bute Hospital over the next few months.
At a meeting of Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands (MAKI) in Campbeltown on Wednesday morning it was revealed that the plan is to relocate 23 beds from Succoth ward to the Glassary ward, which includes the current 19 in-patients.
NHS Highland has said the move is an interim one, with more work to be undertaken before a decision is reached on how and where the service will be provided in the long term.
The decision was taken because Argyll and Bute Hospital, which was built in the 1970s, is becoming increasingly unsafe to use.
The move will mean that there will no longer be in-patients facilities at Argyll and Bute Hospital, although it will still offer outpatient services. It is part of the plan to eventually close the hospital.
Christina West, the Partnership’s Chief Officer, said: ‘We believe that it is the right decision for patients and staff at this point in time and we will work with patients, staff, carers and public representatives to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. Mid Argyll Hospital provides a high standard of accommodation with a wide range of other clinical services in proximity to the ward areas. The decision by the core team will result in a significantly improved care environment for our patients and a much improved working environment for our staff.’