The mental health facility at the Gordon Hospital in Pimlico has been closed since March 2020
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The closure of mental health wards at Gordon Hospital in Pimlico three years ago has led patients to seek treatment as far as Milton Keynes, according to a local councillor.
The NHS closed 51 inpatient beds in the hospital “temporarily” in March 2020, “to ensure safe staffing levels” and reduce the risk of infection spreading during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
It hasn’t reopened them since.
Most patients have been transferred to St Charles’ Hospital, four miles away in North Kensington, where there are 67 beds, and some have travelled further afield.
Gordon Hospital was initially closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Credit: Wiliam King/City News
Conservative and Labour councillors from Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea councils are all calling on the NHS to reinstate acute mental health beds in Westminster.
Public views are being sought by the Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust which operates the facilities.
It says the Gordon Hospital doesn’t currently meet the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ standards for acute mental health environments which require en-suite bedrooms and access to outdoor space, and it could cost £25m to fully refurbish the facility.
Westminster cabinet member for adult social care, public health and the voluntary sector, Labour councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, responded in council by saying patients sharing beds in hospitals is not unheard of, and there is a roof terrace at the Gordon Hospital.
Councillors want the NHS to reinstall mental health provision at the hospital. Credit: William King/City News
The Trust wants to refurbish and reopen 12 beds at the Gordon Hospital, but has put forward two other options which would involve keeping more.
Dr Con Kelly, medical director at CNWL, said: “Caring for and supporting people with severe mental health needs in community settings, closer to family and friends, helps people recover quicker, stay well for longer and live independently as part of their community.
“We recognise there are times when hospital admission is necessary and, on these occasions, we believe people deserve timely treatment in high quality hospital facilities.”
The other options involve cutting community mental health services to reopen all 51 beds in the Gordon Hospital or moving the Mental Health Community Access Service from St Charles’ Hospital to the Gordon Hospital.
The consultation will be open until January 2024.
A spokesperson for the CNWL NHS Foundation Trust told City London News: “Since the temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital wards, an additional £11m has been invested in mental health services in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, with 193 more staff employed by CNWL.
“The number of residents we have been able to support with their mental health needs has more than doubled, with the need for admissions reduced by 30%.
“The KCW Community Mental Health Hubs are now accepting about 500 more referrals each month than was the case prior to the temporary closure (704 per month in 2022/23 compared to 203 per month in 2019/20).”
Councillor Butler-Thalassis believes “we have to be very clear about the importance of inpatient beds. If we lose them, we will never get them back”.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s lead member for adult social care, Conservative councillor Josh Rendall has condemned the CNWL Trust, saying the increased demand on St Charles’ Hospital is severely impacting people who are now “not getting the level of service they require” and facing longer A&E waiting times.
He says some constituents have travelled as far as Milton Keynes for treatment, leaving support networks behind.
Marjorie Wallace, founder and chief executive of mental health charity SANE, told City News: “The unavailability of psychiatric beds is causing irreversible damage to people’s lives. Every lost bed denies patients their right to acceptable care and treatment.
“If no local bed can be found, patients should not face the unacceptable and cruel alternative of being sent out of area for mental healthcare which not only hinders their recovery but is costly for the NHS.”
Submitted Article
HeadlineCalls for Pimlico mental health facility to reopen after 3 years
Short HeadlineReinstall Westminster mental health beds, NHS told
StandfirstThe Gordon Hospital mental health wards have been closed since March 2020
Published Article
HeadlineCalls for Pimlico mental health facility to reopen after three years
Short HeadlineReinstall Pimlico mental health beds, NHS told
StandfirstThe Gordon Hospital mental health wards have been closed since March 2020, when they were shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The closure of mental health wards at Gordon Hospital in Pimlico which have lasted more than three years has caused some people to travel as far as Milton Keynes for mental health treatment, according to a Councillor.
The NHS closed 51 inpatient beds in the hospital “temporarily” in March 2020, “to ensure safe staffing levels” and reduce the risk of infection spreading.
It hasn’t reopened them since.
Most patients have been transferred to St Charles’ Hospital 6.63km away in North Kensington where there are 67 beds, and some have travelled further afield.
Gordon Hospital was initially closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Conservative and Labour councillors from Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea are all calling on the NHS to reinstate acute mental health beds in Westminster.
Public views are being sought by the Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust which operates the facilities.
It says the Gordon Hospital doesn’t currently meet the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ standards for acute mental health environments which require en-suite bedrooms and access to outdoor space, and it could cost £25 million to fully refurbish the facility.
Westminster cabinet member for adult social care, public health and the voluntary sector, Labour councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, responded in Council by saying patients sharing beds in hospitals is not unheard of, and there is a roof terrace at the Gordon Hospital.
Councillors want the NHS to reinstall mental health provision at the hospital
The Trust wants to refurbish and reopen 12 beds at the Gordon Hospital, but has put forward two other options which would involve keeping more.
Dr Con Kelly, medical director at CNWL, said: “Caring for and supporting people with severe mental health needs in community settings, closer to family and friends, helps people recover quicker, stay well for longer and live independently as part of their community.
“We recognise there are times when hospital admission is necessary and, on these occasions, we believe people deserve timely treatment in high quality hospital facilities.”
The other options involve cutting community mental health services to reopen all 51 beds in the Gordon Hospital or moving the Mental Health Community Access Service from St Charles’ Hospital to the Gordon Hospital.
The consultation will be open until January 2024.
A spokesperson for the CNWL NHS Foundation Trust told City London News: “Since the temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital wards, an additional £11m has been invested in mental health services in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, with 193 more staff employed by CNWL.
“The number of residents we have been able to support with their mental health needs has more than doubled, with the need for admissions reduced by 30%.
“The KCW Community Mental Health Hubs are now accepting about 500 more referrals each month than was the case prior to the temporary closure (704 per month in 2022/23 compared to 203 per month in 2019/20).”
Councillor Butler-Thalassis believes “we have to be very clear about the importance of inpatient beds. If we lose them, we will never get them back”.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s lead member for adult social care, Conservative councillor Josh Rendall has condemned the CNWL Trust, saying the increased demand on St Charles’ Hospital is severely impacting people who are now “not getting the level of service they require” and facing longer A&E waiting times.
He says some constituents have travelled as far as Milton Keynes for treatment, leaving support networks behind.
Marjorie Wallace, founder and chief executive of mental health charity SANE, told City London News: “The unavailability of psychiatric beds is causing irreversible damage to people’s lives. Every lost bed denies patients their right to acceptable care and treatment.
“If no local bed can be found, patients should not face the unacceptable and cruel alternative of being sent out of area for mental healthcare which not only hinders their recovery but is costly for the NHS.”
The closure of mental health wards at Gordon Hospital in Pimlico three years ago has led patients to seek treatment as far as Milton Keynes, according to a local councillor.
The NHS closed 51 inpatient beds in the hospital “temporarily” in March 2020, “to ensure safe staffing levels” and reduce the risk of infection spreading during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
It hasn’t reopened them since.
Most patients have been transferred to St Charles’ Hospital, four miles away in North Kensington, where there are 67 beds, and some have travelled further afield.
Gordon Hospital was initially closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Credit: Wiliam King/City News
Conservative and Labour councillors from Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea councils are all calling on the NHS to reinstate acute mental health beds in Westminster.
Public views are being sought by the Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust which operates the facilities.
It says the Gordon Hospital doesn’t currently meet the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ standards for acute mental health environments which require en-suite bedrooms and access to outdoor space, and it could cost £25m to fully refurbish the facility.
Westminster cabinet member for adult social care, public health and the voluntary sector, Labour councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, responded in council by saying patients sharing beds in hospitals is not unheard of, and there is a roof terrace at the Gordon Hospital.
Councillors want the NHS to reinstall mental health provision at the hospital. Credit: William King/City News
The Trust wants to refurbish and reopen 12 beds at the Gordon Hospital, but has put forward two other options which would involve keeping more.
Dr Con Kelly, medical director at CNWL, said: “Caring for and supporting people with severe mental health needs in community settings, closer to family and friends, helps people recover quicker, stay well for longer and live independently as part of their community.
“We recognise there are times when hospital admission is necessary and, on these occasions, we believe people deserve timely treatment in high quality hospital facilities.”
The other options involve cutting community mental health services to reopen all 51 beds in the Gordon Hospital or moving the Mental Health Community Access Service from St Charles’ Hospital to the Gordon Hospital.
The consultation will be open until January 2024.
A spokesperson for the CNWL NHS Foundation Trust told City London News: “Since the temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital wards, an additional £11m has been invested in mental health services in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, with 193 more staff employed by CNWL.
“The number of residents we have been able to support with their mental health needs has more than doubled, with the need for admissions reduced by 30%.
“The KCW Community Mental Health Hubs are now accepting about 500 more referrals each month than was the case prior to the temporary closure (704 per month in 2022/23 compared to 203 per month in 2019/20).”
Councillor Butler-Thalassis believes “we have to be very clear about the importance of inpatient beds. If we lose them, we will never get them back”.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s lead member for adult social care, Conservative councillor Josh Rendall has condemned the CNWL Trust, saying the increased demand on St Charles’ Hospital is severely impacting people who are now “not getting the level of service they require” and facing longer A&E waiting times.
He says some constituents have travelled as far as Milton Keynes for treatment, leaving support networks behind.
Marjorie Wallace, founder and chief executive of mental health charity SANE, told City News: “The unavailability of psychiatric beds is causing irreversible damage to people’s lives. Every lost bed denies patients their right to acceptable care and treatment.
“If no local bed can be found, patients should not face the unacceptable and cruel alternative of being sent out of area for mental healthcare which not only hinders their recovery but is costly for the NHS.”
