CHANGES in the provision of mental health services look set to see the closure of Salisbury’s place of safety suite.

The facility at Fountain Way provides one bed for children or adults who have been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

It allows for someone believed by the police to have a mental disorder, and who may cause harm to themselves or another, to be detained in a public place and taken to a safe place where a mental health assessment can be carried out.

But under new plans being consulted on by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP), the suite in Salisbury will be closed and moved to Devizes under a centralisation of the countywide service.

The six-week consultation, which began on Monday, also involves closing the one-bed facility in Swindon at Sandalwood Court and increasing Devizes Green Lane Hospital’s one-bed suite to four beds.

A review carried out by the Trust and the Care Quality Commission found the places of safety were inadequate in terms of environment and staffing.

Where delays have occurred and the suites have become full, people have been kept in police cells or hospital A&E units. AWP says that expanding the Devizes site to four beds will minimise delays to assessment and cut costs with less staff required overall.

It considered upgrading the existing suites and expanding at either Salisbury or Swindon, but said this was not feasible due to the cost of building and insufficient space to expand other than at Devizes. It states that over the last year Devizes also had the highest rate of admissions of the three units.

AWP says it realises people “will be concerned about the increased travelling time” for patients travelling from Salisbury and Swindon but that Green Lane is “easily accessible via road” and is 27 miles from Fountain Way and 27 miles from Sandalwood Court.

Journey times via ambulance are approximately 45 minutes from Salisbury and Swindon, dependent on traffic.

According to AWP, Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Wiltshire Police all support the relocation, although concerns have been raised by Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group and Swindon Borough Council.

The consultation runs until April 30. If agreed, the changes are likely to be made in the early summer.

To complete the survey visit the Trust’s website, email awp.placesofsafetyfeedback@nhs.net, call 01249 468261 or 0800 073 1778 or write to Places of Safety Feedback, Avon and Wiltshire Partnership Mental Health NHS Trust, Jenner House, Langley Park Estate, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 1GG.

A public meeting will be held in Salisbury at a date to be announced.