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MIDLAND: City's New Pounds 37m Mental Health Hospital Approved

Posted on: Saturday, 11 February 2006, 06:00 CST

Plans for a new pounds 37 million mental health hospital in Birmingham have been approved by trust bosses, following a major public consultation exercise.

Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust's board gave the Bordesley Green scheme the green light, on behalf of the 30 PCTs in the West Midlands, during a meeting on Thursday.

This is "totally conditional" upon the local community being involved at every stage of the development, as two major petitions were presented to health chiefs opposing the new hospital and some of its treatment methods.

Sandy Bradbrook, chief executive of Heart of Birmingham PCT, will head a special group to ensure residents are regularly informed of the project's progress.

However, the proposed unit - which will house up to 85 male patients - on the former Yardley Green Hospital site, is still awaiting planning permission from Birmingham City Council.

Nearly 1,400 people signed two documents opposing the development.

One, organised by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, attracted 639 ethical objections to certain types of treatment, while 747 local residents presented their own petition against the hospital

Currently, PCTs send most of their male patients with mental health issues to secure units up to 100 miles away, as there are only two similar facilities in the region - the Hatherton Centre, in Stafford, and the Reaside Clinic, in Rubery.

Karen Helliwell, director of the NHS West Midlands Specialised Services Agency (WMSSA), which carried out the 15-week public consultation, said: "We understand the strength of feeling and views expressed by some members of the local community who responded to the consultation.

"However, this needs to be balanced against the need for this unit, as expressed by patients, their relatives and the NHS organisations that need to plan for their care and treatment

"We have tried very hard to reassure local people about the high level of supervision and physical security that would be in place at the unit, for the protection of both the public and the vulnerable patients."

The new hospital, which would be managed by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust, would create more than 300 new jobs, and the project team has pledged to recruit workers locally, wherever possible.

Ms Helliwell added: "We are pleased that, after very carefully weighing up all of the views expressed during public consultation, Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust has given approval to the unit.

"We will continue to keep the local community informed and address their key issues.

"We will also make sure the local community is involved in giving feedback and suggestions on how certain aspects of the hospital are run."

Source: Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK)

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