August 30, 2018 3.49 pm This story is over 67 months old

Lincoln mental health ward set for £2m refurb

New individual en-suite rooms will be created.
Witham Court currently has out-of-date 'dormitory-style' rooms. Photo: LPFT

Two million pounds will be invested in the refurbishment of a mental health ward in Lincoln to create new individual en-suite bedrooms.

Brant Ward at Witham Court off Fen Lane in North Hykeham cares for older adults over the age of 65 in mental health crisis.

Currently it has traditional ‘dormitory style’ bays, which are no longer considered good practice in a modern mental health care environment.

Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the service, is eradicating this system across all wards over the next few years and new en-suite bedrooms made available to patients.

Work will begin in October on the reconfiguration and refurbishment of existing ward space to provide 18 en-suite rooms.

It will take approximately nine months to complete.

To enable this work, the trust will temporarily close Brant Ward whilst building work is completed.

During the closure, patients will receive treatment at home as part of a pilot scheme.

The pilot will operate seven days a week to provide an alternative to hospital admission and will offer intensive support to patients and their carers in their normal place of residence.

If hospital care is required there will continue to be beds available at the trust’s Rochford Unit in Boston.

Sue Brace, Brant Ward Manager, said: “We are really excited to be able to start work on this refurbishment. The team have always provided fantastic care to our patients, but once the new facilities are completed we look forward to improving this even further.

“No one likes to be in hospital, but providing care in a pleasant, safe and private space will greatly aid recovery.”

Steve Roberts, Divisional Manager for Older Adult Specialist Mental Health Services at LPFT, added: “During the temporary closure many of the staff from Brant Ward will be providing a new home treatment service that we want to trial for patients in the county.

“We have been in discussions with our patients, carers, staff and commissioners about how we can transform the care we provide to adults over the age of 65, and this includes how mental health services be made available seven days a week in the community to prevent the need for hospital care.

“The work on Brant Ward gives us the perfect opportunity to trial a new home treatment team and see how this could impact hospital admissions and improve patient experience.”

The Trust will be hosting a community drop-in event on Thursday, September 6 2018 to showcase the changes at Brant Ward.

Patients, carers, staff and anyone interested in older adult mental health care can drop in anytime between 2pm and 7pm on the 6 September at Witham Court, Fen Lane, North Hykeham, LN6 8UZ, to find out more.