PEOPLE suffering a mental health crisis will get better treatment if a plan by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust to centralise facilities at Green Lane Hospital in Devizes goes ahead, according to the trust.

The trust has opened a consultation into plans to change its ‘place of safety’ provision, creating a four-bed unit at Green Lane instead of having three beds spread across the county.

The trust says a number of options have been considered and their preference is to stop using Fountain Way in Salisbury and Sandalwood Court in Swindon as ‘places of safety’.

People are being asked to have their say on the move between now and April 30.

An Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership spokesman said: “The consultation on changes to our places of safety in Wiltshire and Swindon has come about following a review carried out by our clinical and operational executive team.

“The team found that the physical environments of our three existing places of safety are not of high enough quality and need refurbishment.

“We also want to increase our place of safety capacity across Wiltshire and Swindon to enable us to assess four people in a place of safety at any one time.

“We know that people will be concerned about the increased travelling time that service users will experience travelling from Swindon and Wiltshire to Devizes.

“Green Lane is easily accessible via road and is 45 minutes from Fountain Way and Sandalwood Court.”

The trust considered four possible options but decided that the first three, which included the closure of the Green Lane bed, were not feasible.

The trust added: “There have been incidents where delays have occurred and the suites have become full. This has led to service users being detained in police custody suites, or A&E units which are not the best place to be detained, especially for children and young people.”

Trowbridge councillor Graham Payne said: “It’s unusual to hold a consultation with just one option.

“However I welcome the chance for people to make their views known.

“I believe it’s a win-win situation for west Wiltshire as there are four beds suggested for Green Lane and also the provision at Southmead Hospital in Bristol should it be needed.

“The fact they have chosen to keep Green Lane open is beneficial to west Wiltshire and Trowbridge.”

To submit feedback, email awp.placesofsafetyfeedback.nhs.net or call (01249) 468 261.