A women-only inpatient rehabilitation service for people with complex mental health needs has opened in Ealing, in what NHS leaders say is a first for the region.
Melrose Ward, run by West London NHS Trust, has been developed with £2.49m of investment and is aimed at women requiring longer-term rehabilitation support, focusing on building independence, daily living skills and confidence ahead of returning to the community.
The trust said the new ward would also help reduce the number of patients sent to facilities far from home, a longstanding concern in mental health care. Treating people closer to where they live is expected to improve outcomes while easing financial pressures linked to out-of-area placements.
Dr Catherine Penny, clinical director, said: “Melrose Ward is an important development for women’s mental health care in north west London. Thanks to all those involved within our service and among many different partners in planning how the ward will operate and interface with other services and in getting it ready to open.”
Dr Penny added: “We look forward to working with women with complex emotional needs and other complex mental health needs to help them recover and integrate or re-integrate into their local community.”
