Decision reached on changes to older people’s mental health inpatient services in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield
A dedicated inpatient dementia service will be based in Dewsbury, with inpatient wards for other mental health needs in Calderdale and Wakefield.
Earlier this year the local NHS asked the public to give their views on where specialist older people’s mental health inpatient wards in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield could be located.
Older people’s mental health inpatient wards look after people living with dementia, or another mental health need such as depression or psychosis, when they need more specialist care than they can receive at home, by community services, or care homes.
At the moment, most older people living with dementia are cared for on the same ward as those with other mental health needs such as anxiety, depression or psychosis.
The public consultation was run by South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). It heard from more than 1,500 people on where specialist wards in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield could be located.
The local NHS looked at all the responses along with an independent review of the findings which also included information on equality. They also worked with other NHS organisations, councils and voluntary and community services to reach the decision which was made on 11 November at a joint NHS West Yorkshire ICB committee of Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
The decision is that from winter 2025/early 2026, people living with dementia will be cared for on a specialist ward at Ward 19, Priestley Unit, Dewsbury and District Hospital. There will be two separate male and female wards, both with 15 beds (30 beds in total). Dedicated wards for other mental health needs will be at Crofton Ward, Fieldhead Hospital, Wakefield which will have two separate male and female wards with 26 beds in total, and one ward at Beechdale Ward, The Dales, Calderdale Royal Hospital which will have 16 beds.
Professor Subha Thiyagesh, chief medical officer and clinical lead for older people, South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to give their views as part of this consultation, your feedback was extremely important in helping us reach this decision.
“Throughout the consultation we heard from people about how these changes will make a positive difference to our patients, families, carers, loved ones and our staff. These wards will give people the specialist care they need in a supportive and dedicated environment which is important in improving wellbeing, experience and quality of life. It also means that the service we have will be fit for purpose for years to come.
“There will be no immediate changes to the care of our patients as there is some building work that we expect will take around 12 to 18 months to complete. We will be keeping our patients, families, carers and loved ones updated as we move to our dedicated wards.”
For more information about the public consultation, and how a decision was reached, people can visit the consultation website: www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/opsconsultation. If you do not have access to the internet, you can use the freephone number 0800 587 2108, and someone will be in touch to help you, or you can email opsconsultation@swyt.nhs.uk
