Redevelopment of Cefn Coed Hospital site - an exhibition of proposals 7th October 2015
Cefn Coed Hospital and the services it provides.
Vision
Our vision is to provide all of our mental health services in modern facilities that meet the needs of patients, service users and staff.
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Background
Cefn Coed Hospital is one of the last remaining Victorian styled psychiatric buildings in Wales.
The hospital’s design and layout have been criticised in a number of reports as no longer being suitable for providing modern care. Unfortunately, it is not possible to modernise it to reach today’s quality and safety standards. It is very clear that this hospital has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced.
In 2009 proposals were agreed and backed to replace Cefn Coed Hospital and its outdated facilities with new, state of the art facilities and buildings. A rolling modernisation programme replacing the old buildings with purpose built ones both within the hospital grounds and at other sites has been ongoing since then.
Overall, ABMU has had mental health projects worth around £100 million approved by the Welsh Government.
New Buildings
Work started in 2009 building modern replacement mental health accommodation and facilities. This includes Ysbryd y Coed (pictured left) in the grounds of Cefn Coed, which is purpose- built for patients with dementia. Other new builds in the Cefn Coed grounds are the 18-bed Gwelfor Rehabilitation Unit and two supported houses for recovering patients preparing to move back home.
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In March 2015, the health board’s new low secure mental health unit, Taith Newydd, opened in Bridgend, replacing some of the old wards at Cefn Coed.
Other new mental health builds include the ARC Centre and Angelton Clinic in Bridgend, and the Ty Einon CMHT in Swansea.
Remaining Services
Following the opening of Ysbryd y Coed only four wards remain at Cefn Coed hospital.
As a result of wide public engagement between September and December 2011, detailed work and appraisal by a multi- agency group, and a public consultation between December 2013 and February 2014, the board agreed to centralise adult mental health acute assessment services for all patients in one place.
This will be a new purpose built facility on the Neath Port Talbot Hospital site providing a higher quality, better range of services in significantly better facilities for both staff and patients. Plans are progressing and a multi-stakeholder group, including patient and staff representatives, is leading on this project.
The Older People’s acute assessment beds for Swansea currently being temporarily transferred to Tonna Hospital (see page 5) have been included in the prospectus of the ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health) project involving ABMU Health Board, Hywel Dda Health Board and Swansea University, which sees the development of the Singleton Hospital site (pictured above). 3
What’s happening now?
The planned phased transfer of services and decommissioning of Cefn Coed Hospital will continue for the next three to five years.
Part of this work involves selling off the land the health board no longer needs at Cefn Coed Hospital. Money from the sale of the land can then be reinvested in services.
You will find out more about this part of the mental health improvement programme on the information panels around the room.
In the meantime......
Whilst plans progress, the remaining adult mental health assessment wards are moving within Cefn Coed Hospital from Wards 4 and 6 to refurbished Wards C and F. This is so we can provide patients and staff with the most suitable facilities possible while the wards are still at Cefn Coed Hospital. Not only will this transfer of wards provide patients and staff with more space inside, it will also allow patients open access to outside areas.
In some areas of Cefn Coed potential risks have been identified with the heating - including where the remaining older people’s mental health assessment wards are. With winter approaching we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks and will be temporarily transferring the two older people’s wards to refurbished wards at Tonna Hospital (pictured above).
Other services at Cefn Coed Hospital
The transferring of services and changes at Cefn Coed Hospital are led by a project group made up of representatives from various departments within the health board. When making changes, patient care and ensuring services for patients are maintained is our priority. 4
We are aware there are members of staff working in Cefn Coed Hospital from departments who are not directly involved in patient care. These members of staff are equally important and the project group is also working on transferring the remaining staff on the site to appropriate accommodation.
Community Care
Today there is much greater emphasis on providing mental health care in a community setting, rather than admitting people as inpatients to hospital (unless they clinically need to be admitted). There are a lot of benefits to patients by this approach. These include keeping them in a familiar setting and routine; offering them closer links to families and friends, and helping them to continue to live as independently as possible.
In 2012, we opened Gorseinon based mental health facilities, Ty Einon and Ty Garngoch (pictured right).
These facilities, which cost over £7 million, are examples of purpose built facilities providing modern accommodation for mental health services in the community.
The provision of local facilities was a strong theme within the consultation events around the development of adult acute assessment services and there was discussion about the proposal to continue to develop community based resources, particularly crisis resolution and home treatment at a local level.
Accordingly, we are working with colleagues in the third sector and local authorities, to increase our investment in community based mental health care.
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