Agenda item

This paper provides an update on Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s proposals to redesign the way that older people’s mental health services are provided in York, Selby and Tadcaster. This follows comments made by Members at the Committee’s meeting on 12 September 2012.

Members received a paper which provided them with an update on Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s proposals to redesign the way that older people’s mental health services are provided in York, Selby and Tadcaster.

The two authors of the paper, Melanie Hird (Associate Director of York and North Yorkshire Services) and Lynn Parkinson (Deputy Director of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) were in attendance to present their report and to answer Members’ questions.

In response to a question from a Member about when care would cease at Mill Lodge, it was reported that a definite date had not yet been fixed. In addition, for those still under care at Mill Lodge, the Trust would try to avoid disruption and not transfer current patients at Mill Lodge until a clear transition point had been reached.

Further questions from Members included;

·        Where would the nursing staff needed for the Community Mental Health Teams come from?

·        How will the care offered by the CUE’s be replaced?

·        How would the closure of one CUE (Mill Lodge) impact on wider social care services in the city?

·        What the monthly discharge rate of patients from Mill Lodge, of 20.5%, as detailed in the report, related to. Did it relate to occupied or non occupied bed spaces?

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust felt that the closure would not have a major impact on current social care services that were provided within the city. They added that they felt that a community care setting would be better for those with dementia rather than an inpatient one, as transitions from different inpatient facilities to others were disruptive and confusing for dementia sufferers. It was also reported that the discharge percentage referred to in the report related to those who had been discharged from currently occupied beds.

Further discussion ensued and concerns and questions were raised such as;

·        Whether there were enough resources to provide services to a growing older population in the city.

·        How could it be ensured that a new service configuration would have sufficient resources for it to work

·        That future use of the Mill Lodge building as a NHS used facility or whether it would be available to other service providers.

Chris Butler, the Chief Executive of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust explained that old NHS properties would either transfer to the new providers of the previously provided services or transfer to a new organisation called NHS Prop Co. For those NHS bodies who wished to continue to use old NHS facilities, they would then enter into a lease with the Prop Co. Further to this, current Government policy dictated that NHS bodies would not be able to pick and choose which buildings to use for their services. They would either have to take on leases for all of the buildings or none at all.

Members requested that a report be brought to the Committee at a later date on the progress of the transition from clinical to community care, what resources were currently being used and which ones would be used in the future. This report should also include information about partnership working.

Councillor Fraser asked if the work of Doctor Peter Kennedy, the former Chief Executive of York Health Trust be recorded in the minutes of the meeting in recognition of his contribution to the understanding of psychiatric needs of mental health patients in the city.

RESOLVED:       (i)      That the update be noted.

(ii)      That a progress report on the reconfiguration of services for older people’s Mental Health be considered by the Committee at a later date.

REASON:           To keep the Committee informed of the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust proposals to redesign the way that older people’s mental health services are provided in York, Selby and Tadcaster.