A SPECIALIST dementia ward in Yeovil will close permanently, it has been announced.

The decision comes after it was agreed to expand community-based support for patients.

The Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust chose to temporarily close the Magnolia ward within Summerlands Hospital in July 2017, citing concerns over staffing levels and recruitment of mental health nurses.

The Intensive Dementia Support Service (IDSS) was created around the same time to urgently assess dementia patients and enable them to receive more support and care in their homes, rather than being admitted to hospital.

Now, the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – which decides how health resources are allocated – has voted to make the Magnolia closure permanent, in favour of expanding the IDSS across the county.

The CCG’s governing body voted unanimously to make the closure permanent when it met in Bridgwater on Thursday morning (July 25).

Bridgwater GP Dr Alex Murray, who is a clinical advisor on mental health issues to the CCG, said the changes were not designed to remove inpatient facilities from those who genuinely needed it.

She said: “This is a good new story – we are working to bring care closer to patients in the community.

“We will have an increase in dementia over the years to come – we have an ageing population.”

With the Magnolia ward permanently closing, the CCG and the Somerset Partnership will work together to improve the existing inpatient provision at the Pyrland ward in Taunton for those who require intensive support.

Dr Murray said: “There will always be a small proportion of people who need intensive, inpatient facilities – people who are wandering, aggressive or can’t be cared for in their home or community.

“But we know hospital admissions are not good for people with dementia.”

Dr Murray said there was sufficient capacity within the Pyrland ward for patients with no needs, and no patients had been placed out of county since the IDSS had been operational.

She added in her written report: “These changes are necessary to ensure we can provide safe, sustainable and quality community services for people with dementia, in line with services for those older people with a non-dementia mental health illness.

“It enables patients to be assessed, treated and supported seven days a week, within their own home, in line with our shared vision to focus care as much as possible in supporting people within their local communities and away from an institution-focussed model of care.”