Multi-million pound expansion of mental health service opens at Priory Hospital Preston in response to growing demand
Date: 7th November 2024
A new multi-million pound expansion of acute mental health services has opened at Priory Hospital Preston to support people in the region, as the number of people requiring treatment continues to rise.
Priory has invested £4.5m to create the new Elswick Ward at the hospital – a specialist inpatient service where people experiencing severe, short-term episodes of mental illness can receive urgent treatment, in the safest possible environment, close to home.
The newly built ward has been opened in the face of growing demand for mental health services.
Hospital director Jayne Harrington, left, and Priory CEO Rebekah Cresswell, right, open the new Elswick Ward at Priory Hospital Preston
Rates of people with a diagnosed mental health condition (including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder or other psychoses) are higher in Lancashire than nationally, according to Lancashire County Council analysis of NHS data. There has also been an increase in the number of adults diagnosed with depression in Lancashire in the past year; despite no significant change for England.
Previous research in 2023 revealed that long waiting lists for mental health support services in the region are the main barrier preventing people from accessing care and treatment.
More recently, new figures released this month (October) show that demand for mental health, learning disability and autism services across the country has grown by nearly 40% since before the pandemic, with almost 3.8m people utilising NHS services nationally in the past year.
Now, the 12-bed male ward at Priory Hospital Preston will be available to patients - referred by the NHS in Lancashire - who are in serious mental distress and cannot be managed by community services.
The specialist Elswick Ward team at Priory Hospital Preston includes occupational therapists, psychiatrists, nurses and healthcare assistants.
Priory Hospital Preston is a 50-bedded mental health hospital, offering an extensive range of services, for adult males and females with acute mental health needs and eating disorders. The hospital’s acute services enable more people in the region to receive specialist support and treatment closer to home.
Jayne Harrington, hospital director at Priory Hospital Preston, said: “We’re proud to have expanded our acute services at a time of great need for the communities we serve. The new ward offers round-the-clock support for people suffering a mental health crisis, as we support them to be able to return to the community and live their life. Our specialist inpatient acute teams can support people with complex mental health needs, anxiety, depression or psychosis, in safe and highly therapeutic environments, and we’re proud to be able to provide additional capacity to our NHS partners.”
Rebekah Cresswell, Priory chief executive officer, said: “I’m extremely proud of the highly dedicated team at Priory Hospital Preston; the outstanding work they deliver every day saves lives. This new multi-million pound investment creates vital additional capacity, enabling our teams to provide life-changing support to even more people in need in the local area.”
ENDS
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About Priory and MEDIAN Group
Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services. Priory treats more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across its nationwide network of sites. Priory also supports autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.
Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, the leading European provider of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises: Priory in the UK with 290 facilities and 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people, MEDIAN in Germany with 120 facilities and 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients, and Hestia in Spain with 15 facilities and 2,100 beds caring for 11,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees across the group.