NHS chiefs plan to convert ‘dementia’ beds for mental health care

Councilors and health watchdogs are being asked to share their views on changes to specialist dementia services in Brighton and Hove.

Members of Brighton and Hove City Council’s General Health and Review Committee – which includes representatives from Healthwatch, the Council for Older People and the community and voluntary sector – will look at NHS Sussex’s plans to “transform the service”. .

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is working with NHS Sussex to reduce dementia bed needs for Brighton and Hove patients and increase the number of mental health beds to respond to demand.

A report to the committee, which is due to meet next Monday (16 September), said that Brighton and Hove has a “strong network” of community dementia services that provide lifelong support. mental health and dedicated family care.

The 10-bed Brunswick Ward at Mill View Hospital, in Hove, caters for patients from across Sussex and others from Brighton and Hove.

A review of admissions found that two out of three admissions per month are from East or West Sussex and not Brighton and Hove.

But the trust has said there is a greater need for inpatient mental health care than dementia beds and is therefore working with Sussex Integrated Care Board on turning the Brunswick ward into ward with 15 beds.

NHS Sussex data showed that Brighton and Hove produced almost a quarter of all adults making mental health referrals in the county, resulting in longer waiting times than All of Sussex.

People living with dementia who need inpatient care will be helped by the trust’s hospitals in Worthing and Uckfield.

Worthing currently has the highest proportion of dementia beds with 30 in the Forget Me Not Unit at Swandean Hospital which was a finalist in the National Dementia Care awards last year.

The report said: “While these changes will result in a significant gain of 15 adult mental health beds in Brighton and Hove, they will also lead to the removal of 10 inpatient beds.” dementia’ in the city.

“While the city has a low demand for inpatient dementia beds, there is a strong need for beds for adults with dementia.

“Therefore, this increased capacity can serve a large number of the city’s residents and reflects the needs of the residents.

“Furthermore, these changes aim to help the transition of dementia services across the county to more efficient, community-based care for people with dementia.”

Brighton and Hove has a younger population compared to East and West Sussex. Of the 292,000 people living in the town, 13.5 per cent are 65 and over, compared with 26.1 per cent in East Sussex and 23.3 per cent in West Sussex.

In 2022-2023, there were more than 37,000 people with depression in Brighton and Hove, or 13.4 per cent of the population, and around 4,500 people, or 1.36 per cent, with other health problems of the mind.

People with dementia make up a very small proportion of Brighton and Hove’s population, less than 2,000 or 0.58%. East Sussex has 6,268 people with dementia (1.1 per cent) and West Sussex 9,215 (1 per cent).

The report said age-related differences highlight how young people in Brighton and Hove have high rates of other mental health problems. The trust aims to increase community support for people with dementia.

The Council’s General Health and Performance Committee is due to meet in Hove Town Hall at 4pm next Monday (September 16). The meeting is scheduled to be broadcast on the council’s website.