New crisis assessment centre planned for hospital
A new crisis assessment centre is planned for a Stafford hospital to support adults and children experiencing mental health issues.
An application has been submitted to Stafford Borough Council for the facility to be built on land previously occupied by Stonefields House at St George’s Hospital.
The Corporation Street hospital already has a “Section 136” facility, which provides a place of safety for people detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act. But it cannot accommodate adults and children at the same time.
If approved, the new centre will enable the facility to remain open for adults if a child or young person is admitted. It will include dedicated assessment rooms as well as therapy, living, support and staff welfare facilities.
At the start of this year it was announced that more than £3.1m was being earmarked for a new crisis assessment centre in Stafford, as part of £5.5m from the Government for extra mental health services in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The funding was welcomed by the town’s MP Theo Clarke, who launched Stafford Mental Health Network with Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in 2020, and Staffordshire County Council’s mental health champion Ann Edgeller.
