Place of Safety Unit Reopened at Bootham Park Hospital
December 18, 2015
Julian has welcomed the recent news that the ‘place of safety’ unit for vulnerable people detained by the police has reopened in Bootham Park Hospital.
The unit had closed along with the wider hospital due to safety concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission on October 1. However all the work required by the CQC has now been carried out and they have approved the registration of the unit.
Welcoming the news Julian said:
“This is excellent news and means that people detained under the Mental Health Act will no longer be kept in police cells or transported across the county to facilities in Harrogate or Scarborough. The Street Triage initiative that was set up immediately after Bootham Park Hospital closed down has been a great success and it has gone a long way to alleviating the immediate calls to re-establish the ‘place of safety’. It has provided direct access to mental health services and care. I think it would complement the facility at Bootham Park and I hope that the Trust and CCG will consider continuing this important scheme.”
The Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust also recently announced that Peppermill Court in York will be adapted for use as an adult inpatient unit. The development is expected to start by the end of January with the refurbished 24 bed unit complete by the summer. However this is only an interim solution as a purpose-built facility to replace Bootham Park Hospital is expected in 2019.
