Dewsbury MP to visit mental health inpatient unit
Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff is set to visit a local hospital unit which provides 24 hour care to people experiencing a range of mental health conditions.
Priestley unit, based at Dewsbury and District Hospital, is run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. It includes ward 18, an inpatient unit for working age adults, and ward 19, for people aged over 65.
Ms Sherriff (Labour) will visit the unit on Wednesday 26 August alongside directors and staff from the Trust. She is keen to understand the services available to local people to support their mental health, see more of the Trust’s creative approaches to recovery, and the work it is doing in partnership to support people to live well in their community.
In a recent survey, 100% of people rated their care on ward 19, which has 30 inpatient beds, as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. Staff on the ward work with community staff and other professionals such as physiotherapists, social workers and dieticians to provide the best quality of care suited to service users’ needs. 100% of service users who had received care from the 28-bed ward 18 said they were involved and listened to when decisions were made that affected their care. Ward 18 also boasts a therapeutic garden, outdoor sports area, gym facilities, and male and female lounges.
Karen Taylor, district director for Kirklees Business Delivery Unit (BDU) at the Trust, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Ms Sherriff to the Priestley unit. It’s a unit which prides itself on providing a relaxing environment for people experiencing mental health conditions to receive person-centred care with a focus on recovery. We hope Ms Sherriff is impressed by our excellent facilities and boundlessly caring, considerate staff, who I am sure will provide a warm welcome to the wards.”
Ms Sherriff said: “I’m delighted to come along to discuss the invaluable work that is carried out at the Priestley unit. Mental health provision is very important and it is absolutely crucial that early intervention is provided to those requiring treatment. For too long mental health has been insufficiently funded and we must work towards a solution which achieves parity of funding in comparison to other healthcare services. As a member of the Health Select Committee I will be raising the issue of provision of mental health services across the country as well as in my own constituency.”