Issue - meetings

To consider the verbal update report of the Chief Executive of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The Committee considered the Chief Executive’s update report on the following items:

      Primrose Avenue – following the consultation period the proposals to close Primrose Avenue Respite Unit had been reconfirmed by the Board of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) and were to be re-presented to the Cheshire East Learning Disability Management Group on 16 October for reconfirmation.  All service users’ health respite needs would be reassessed and a needs assessment for carers also undertaken; this process would be done jointly with social care staff.  A decision around implementation dates  would be taken in November;

      Soss Moss – this former hospital site had now been renamed the Alderley Unit and had planning permission for 45 low secure beds.  The CWP Board had confirmed that Dane Ward (a 15 bed low secure service for adult males with mental health needs currently provided from the Millbrook site, Macclesfield Hospital) would transfer to the first building to be constructed which would be a purpose built 15 bed low secure unit.  Most patients staying at the unit would be longer term and the environment was more suitable with space for activities and more facilities available.  All safeguarding standards had been met.  A meeting with local Parish Councils had been held to provide information and answer queries and a further meeting would be held in the new year.  It was expected that the unit would be completed by 4 April 2011;

      Medical Director – a jobshare appointment had been made to the post of Medical Director, and Dr Andy Cotgrove and Dr Anushta Sivananthan had been appointed and taken up the post at the beginning of August;

      Annual Report 2009/10 and Annual Plan Summary 2010/13 – this was now available on the website.

RESOLVED:  That:

      the update be received;

      a report be submitted to the next meeting of the Committee on definitions of low secure units, the types of services provided and the service users who access such services;

      a visit be arranged to the Alderley Unit in the new year; and

      a progress report be submitted to the next meeting on the integration of the Assertive Outreach Function into Community Mental Health Teams.