MOVE…Belmore House in Darling Street
THE decision to move mental health and social services to the South West Acute hospital has been praised by a local councillor.
He says the additional car parking spaces announced last week will facilitate the movement of mental health services from Belmore House in Enniskillen, and social services at Coleshill in Enniskillen.
Around 40 members of staff will be involved in the move from Enniskillen town centre to the new hospital.
UUP Councillor Raymond Farrell said: “I can understand the argument for allocating mental health services at an acute hospital site as it goes some way in challenging stigma that may exist on the whole subject of mental health.
“That said, I believe we need to look carefully at where we place such services within site and that the travel infrastructure from Enniskillen is in place to meet peoples needs.”
This is to leave two vacant premises at those locations, of which Cllr Farrell said there are ‘many who would see the need to make good use of them’.
He cited the possibility of developing the services available for alcohol addiction. If the properties are deemed to be surplus to requirements, however, then they will go through department of health (estates) disposal process.
Similarly, Yvonne McWhirter, head of services for primary care liaison and specialist services for mental health at the Western Trust, spoke of the move.
“The services won’t change,” she said.
“It should serve the community better. You’ll have people who’d prefer us to come out to the town, and others who would prefer to come and see us.
She added: “It’s change, and as you know moving house is always stressful. So I’m quite sure that with staff there’ll be those people who are happier than others, but it’s change, and I couldn’t answer for every individual member of staff, but as a whole there’s an anticipation to move – and being able to provide as good if not better service to the population.”
A spokesman for the Western Trust said that following the completion of extended car parking facilities at the South West Acute Hospital in the Autumn, the Trust will then ‘make a determination at that point as to when staff will re-locate from Coleshill’.
He added: “Once the Trust has vacated the Coleshill and Belmore properties, should an alternative use not be identified, they will be declared surplus to Health and Social Care requirements and go through department of health (estates) disposal processes.”
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