A major expansion is under way at a North Ayrshire hospital which supports people with mental health issues.

As a requirement of Covid contingencies, mental health inpatient rehabilitation services at Woodland View in Irvine were reconfigured.

This has led to the development of an enhanced outreach model from Warrix Avenue that has released the Ward 7B physical ward environment for other purposes and the staffing budget for this area is to be re-allocated to support this new model.

Now a proposal has been developed to reopen Ward 7B as a nurse-led 72-hour assessment unit with an expected impact of reducing adult mental health (AMH) acute beds.

This plan was approved at a meeting of the integration joint board.

This freed bed capacity could be consolidated in one AMH acute bedroom wing to potentially become a self-contained unit for a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) assessment/support hub.

The nurse-led 72-hour assessment unit reduces the need for adult AMH acute beds, reduces the length of stay through focused assessment on admission with clear decision points within 72 hours of admission.

It also improves patient care experience, offering a simpler pathway and removing risk of multiple assessments and waits within the busy emergency department.

In addition, the assessment unit: releases time from ambulance and police services accompanying people requiring psychiatric assessment to emergency departments; reduces the need for sole practitioner assessments, pressure for those assessing staff and benefit of joint assessments; provides wider support from Woodland View in case of distressed or agitated people; maximises use of condition appropriate environment at Woodland View.

The IJB agreed to endorse the option appraisal recommendations and approve proposal for use of Ward 7B as a 72-hour unscheduled care unit, delivery of an alternative outreach rehabilitation model from Warrix Avenue and future planning for delivery of a CAMHS assessment hub.