New mental health unit to address safety worries

Plans to replace Leicester's main mental health treatment unit with a more modern facility are set to be approved.

The Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust wants to decommission the 1980s-built Bradgate Unit at Glenfield Hospital.

The trust said it would not be possible to address concerns raised about its mental health care in the current premises.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said some existing wards were "not always safe, clean, well maintained and fit for purpose".

A planning application for a new building, near the site of the current one, is to be discussed by Blaby District Council on Thursday.

Planning officers have recommended the scheme be approved by councillors.

The trust said it did not want to comment ahead of the meeting.

However, in documents lodged with the council, the trust said: "The current accommodation is not suitable for a modern mental health service.

"Successive visits from the Care Quality Commission have identified a range of pertinent issues at the Bradgate site that cannot be rectified without substantial investment."

The trust has not said how much the new facility would cost to build.

The documents added: "It is acknowledged that it will not be possible to further improve facilities or resolve the outstanding issues raised by the CQC without significant capital investment in a new state-of-the-art and purpose-built facility."

Under the plans, four new acute adult mental health wards would be created along with therapy spaces, a "place of safety assessment unit", offices, and education training centre and an urgent care hub.

The new building would be on an 8.5 acre (3.42 hectare) area of grassland which includes a temporary staff car park.

The trust said the current Bradgate Unit would either be demolished or turned into a permanent pharmacy building serving the hospital.

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