'Places of Safety' for mental health patients - update from Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership

"Statement regarding the Place of Safety provision in Swindon and Wiltshire

Following an extensive consultation on improving the provision and quality of Places of Safety suites, we recently published a paper on the consultation outcome.

Since then the Trust has noted a number of concerns raised and decided to review further comments from stakeholders. The Board will formally consider the consultation outcome and Trust decision at its next meeting on the 27 September and announce its conclusions shortly afterwards.

Pending that announcement, the Places of Safety suites in Swindon, Devizes and Salisbury will continue to operate."

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Here's the original news item from March 2017:

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust is changing the way it delivers services to people in Wiltshire and Swindon who are taken to the Trust's places of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 2007. Two of the three sites currently in operation will disappear.

The Trust is consulting with service users, carers, families, voluntary and community groups in order to gauge their comments and feedback about the change.

There are currently three place of safety suites, each with one bed - Fountain Way in Salisbury,Green Lane in Devizes, and Sandalwood Court in Swindon.

The Trust intends to close Fountain Way and Sandalwood Court. The Green Lane site would be expanded to four beds.

AWMHP claims that in addition to saving money this would also help with staffing and management arrangements.

The consultation is running for six weeks from 20 March 2017 to 30 April 2017 and will include public meetings.

More information about the events and the consultation is available on AWP's website.