UNDER a dozen Swindon residents suffering a mental health crisis have been taken to the new place of safety suite in Devizes.

The Swindon suite, based at Stratton’s Sandalwood Court, temporarily shut on March 26. It has been closed for a year.

Since then, 11 people have been taken to an expanded unit at the Green Lane Hospital, Devizes. A further two were taken to units outside of Wiltshire, reports show. Those suffering a mental health crisis who are sectioned by police can be taken to a place of safety suite to be assessed by specialist staff.

But in reports shared with the borough’s health scrutiny committee, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust admitted there had been “some challenges” in the availability of Section 12 doctors, qualified to assess a sectioned patient. Doctor shortages were cited as one of the reasons for seeking the closure of the Swindon place of safety this year.

However, Newlands Anning, Swindon operations manager for AWP, told the borough’s health scrutiny committee: “There has been no adverse effect on the individual in terms of the travel and distance from Swindon to Devizes.

“What we do know is the length and time it takes for the assessments to occur have decreased as a result and people are actually in these units for a shorter period of time and then moved to the relevant area.

“We ensure that if local residents have been assessed and they need to return back to Swindon then we are accountable and we sort that out.”

Asked if AWP would usually see 11 people sent to the suite at this time of year. Mr Anning said it was slightly higher than usual.

He told committee chair Coun Maureen Penny: “Those statistics over a short period I don’t think show a true reflection of an annual activity plan. I would still suggest though that 11 in that period of time is a lot less than elsewhere in AWP’s footprint, Bristol or South Gloucestershire being good examples. It looks quite high, but it’s not that high in comparison to other areas.”

June was a busy month, he said: “I had a team working in Wiltshire Police HQ where levels of activity within the police in terms of mental health issues seemed to be increased.”

AWP announced last year they planned to close place of safety suites in Salisbury and Swindon, moving the services to a larger unit at Devizes. They cited problems raised by watchdog the Care Quality Commission over limited access to qualified mental health doctors and changes to the law that mean police have less than half the time to detain someone under the Mental Health Act.

Earlier this year NHS England approved plans to temporarily close the Swindon and Salisbury places of safety for a year.

But the closures have proved controversial with campaigners. Ann Mooney, former head of user group SUNS, said she had told her children not to call the mental health crisis team over fears she would be taken to Devizes by police.

Ms Mooney branded the place of safety temporary closure “disgraceful”.