More beds for mental health patients open in Westminster
Four more step-down beds have recently opened up in Queensborough Terrace, Westminster, taking the overall total to 13 in the borough, for mental health patients who do not require the intensity or restrictions of an acute inpatient ward but are not quite ready to go home. The move shows the Trust’s ability to be agile and responsive to the needs of residents by increasing the right kind of locally based provision within the City of Westminster.
Step-down beds play a pivotal role in supporting the recovery journey of mental health patients by providing a safe, structured, and supportive environment for transitioning back into the community. They not only benefit individual patients but also enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of the healthcare system. This is particularly important as we go into the winter months and the NHS comes under increased pressure.
Various initiatives have been set up to support mental health and wellbeing through winter as well as a dedicated toolkit that includes some tips, ideas and information to help manage some of the challenges you might face during the colder months.
Graeme Caul, Chief Operations Officer at Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust said:
“It’s great that we’ve been able to respond to demand in Westminster by opening more beds at such a critical time of year – heading into winter”.
“The addition of four new step-down beds at Queensborough Terrace now offers 13 beds dedicated to mental health patients who are continuing their recovery journey. This expansion demonstrates the Trust's responsiveness to local needs while increasing bed capacity in a critical area”.
Provision of care and support for people with serious mental health care needs in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea have recently been subject to public consultation. The proposed changes that came out of that consultation are an opportunity to transform local mental health care in line with national policy and best practice. The changes are also in response to what we have heard from patients.
The next public meeting that will see locally elected members discuss the decision-making business case is the Inner West London Mental Health Services Reconfiguration Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 12th December, 2024, 6.30pm
Anyone is welcome to join the meeting – please contact Clare O'Keefe, Lead Policy and Scrutiny Advisor via: cokeefe@westminster.gov.uk if you’d like to join the meeting.
How is Healthwatch Westminster addressing the mental health needs of the local community?
One of our biggest areas of work has been embedding patient voice into the Gordon Hospital consultation and scrutiny process.
Through a patient experience report, support for individuals to speak at the scrutiny committee, and a consultation event open to our volunteers and wider network, Healthwatch Westminster and Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea ensured that patient voice was at the heart of conversations to change the way local mental health services are delivered.
We’ve supported more than 130 people to be part of the decision-making process and will continue to hold local mental health services to account.
Find out more about our input to this consultation here.
