New care service launched

9:44am Monday 19th May 2008

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A NEW psychiatric care service has been launched at Clatterbridge Hospital.

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust unveiled its new intensive service - known as PICU - at the newly-named Springview accommodation block.

The state of the art accommodation features a range of new services and well-being environments.

Chief executive Peter Cubbon said: "Not only will the new specialised PICU provide multi-disciplinary teams with modern and well-equipped facilities on the Wirral, but it will complement our other PICU service at Bowmere Hospital in Chester.

"This means local people have access to two state of the art facilities." Dr Tania Stanway, a consultant psychiatrist, says: "CWP is an experienced provider of high quality psychiatric intensive care services in the north west and our services are led by skilled clinicians and dedicated staff.

"We have a unique approach to outreach work and our philosophy of care will be enhanced by the new modern well-being environment. This specialised unit will enable both a comfortable and private environment for service user care on the Wirral."

The PICU has ten en-suite bedrooms and service users include people from a wide-range of backgrounds, including adults with severe mental illness.

CWP provides mental health, learning disability, and drug and alcohol services to the people of Cheshire and Wirral.

The trust provides the services in partnership with local authorities, service users, carers and the voluntary and independent sectors. It recently became a foundation trust in order to improve services further.