Acute mental health consultation

We are asking for your views about proposed changes to acute mental health services in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, including:

• Expanding the mental health crisis assessment (MHCAS) service (previously piloted at St Charles) and moving it to the Gordon Hospital. 
• Keeping 67 inpatient beds at St Charles (as now), supplemented by the MHCAS at the Gordon Hospital with room for 12 patients, including space for 4 patients to be admitted overnight alongside a full range of community-based services.

Before we make any decisions, we want to hear from you about our proposal and how it could affect you, your family, your loved ones, or someone who you are caring for. This will help make sure that we can provide the best possible care and support for residents in Westminster and Kensington with serious mental health needs.

For more information and to read the full proposal, visit the NHS North West London website.

The survey takes approximately 10 -15 minutes.

A.  About you

Your answers to these questions will enable us to analyse the response from this survey and understand more clearly where there may be differences of views between different groups of stakeholders. 

B.  About the consultation options

This questionnaire is part of a consultation document:

• That sets out the reasons why are we proposing changes to acute mental health care for adults living in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea
• That describes each of the proposed options, how we have developed these, and what we see as their strengths and weaknesses.  We have also identified a preferred option. 

4. Your views

In the following questions, please let us have your views on the preferred option we are considering.

a) To what extent do you agree with our preferred option?

PREFERRED OPTION

Option 3. This option is closest to the current service, with 67 inpatient beds at St Charles (as now), supplemented by the MHCAS service expanded and relocated to the Gordon Hospital with capacity for 12 patients, including the capability for 4 patients to be admitted overnight. 

Additional capacity in Brent would free up seven beds at St Charles.

This option retains the community and crisis services developed since the Gordon Hospital wards were closed, voluntary sector partnerships would remain in place and the Community Access Service (CAS) would continue.

In the following questions, please let us have your views on the preferred option we are considering.

b) If you would like to provide any feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the other options (described as Options 1 and 2 in this document and set out below) or on anything that you think we have got wrong or may have missed, please tell us here.

Option 1

This option is closest to the service that existed before temporary closure of wards at the Gordon Hospital. It would comprise 118 inpatient beds across two sites, St Charles (67 beds) and Gordon Hospital (51beds).

The Gordon Hospital facilities would meet "safe" standards, but not “desired” standards, due to the constraints of the building.

There would be less additional capacity created in Brent than in our preferred Option 3, so some of the beds at St Charles would still be used by Brent residents.

Community and crisis services developed since March 2020 would be cut, with these being reduced or stopped entirely.

Option 2

This option involves 80 beds across two sites: 67 at St Charles and 13 delivered as a single ward in the Gordon Hospital.

Community and crisis services would be reduced, including closure of the MHCAS service, with its staff moving to support inpatient care.  Voluntary sector partnerships would remain in place and the Community Access Service (CAS) would continue. 

There would be less additional capacity created in Brent than in our preferred Option 3, so some of the beds at St Charles would still be used by Brent residents.

C.  Your views on priorities for mental health care

5. Thinking about the following, which do you believe are the most important for people living with serious mental health problems in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea?

Please select UP TO THREE from the following list

D.  Please tell us a little more about yourself

We are keen to hear from a broad mix of people and to consider any differences or potential service adjustments that may apply to different groups. Completing the next section will help us to assess which groups we have engaged.

This section is optional, and your views will still be taken into account if you choose not to complete this section.

E.  Keeping in touch with you

Please note we will not link your email address to the answers you have given to the consultation questions.

You can read our privacy policy by visiting our website.