Business case wait for mental health unit

A DECISION on the future of Macclesfield’s mental health unit will be made after a business case is prepared.

It follows a 12-week consultation which saw patients and residents raise their concerns over plans to close the Millbrook Unit.

More than 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for it to stay open.

Under the controversial proposals, either specialist adult mental health or specialist dementia inpatient care will move more than 40 miles away to Chester.

The option favoured by NHS bosses would be to move dementia services to Lime Walk House, off Victoria Road in Macclesfield.

If this happens the adult specialist mental health inpatient service currently at Millbrook could move to Chester with just six crisis beds being made available for the population of Eastern Cheshire, South Cheshire and Vale Royal.

NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (ECCCG) said the location of the beds has ‘not been determined’.

Chester University has been analysing the consultation response findings and the ECCCG said the three governing bodies will be presented with their analysis at the end of August or beginning of September.

A decision-making business case will then be prepared and sent to the governing bodies of each consulting CCG before a final decision is made.