New base for Harrogate mental health crisis team yet to be found
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Last updated Mar 16, 2021
The Briary Unit at Harrogate District Hospital
The Briary Wing, Harrogate District Hospital, which was closed last year.

Health bosses have yet to find a new base for Harrogate’s mental health crisis team, despite conceding that it had to return “at the earliest possible opportunity”.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which runs mental health services for the district, moved the team to The Orchards at Ripon following the closure of the Harrogate District Hospital’s Briary Unit in April.

Adult and children crisis teams support people with mental health problems who may otherwise need to go to hospital.

Officials relocated the team, which includes 29 staff, after they were unable to identify alternative accommodation in Harrogate. They said the move was a short-term solution and that work was underway to find a new site.

At a North Yorkshire Health Scrutiny meeting in December, trust managers conceded that the move “cannot be sustained in the long term” and that it had to return “at the earliest possible opportunity”.


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However, the trust has now said it intends to explore requirements for a new site “in the near future”.

Naomi Lonergan, director of operations for North Yorkshire and York at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We intend to explore our requirements for a new location for our Harrogate mental health crisis services in the near future, which will include discussions with our stakeholders and partners.

“It remains our priority to offer face-to-face contact and see people who need crisis interventions in their homes or as close to home as possible. Although the crisis team has been relocated to Ripon, most people accessing the services can still do so in the Harrogate area.

“We continue to use rooms in the Harrogate community bases to enable face-to-face contact and we are also offering attend anywhere virtual consultations where clinically appropriate.”

Harrogate District Hospital’s Briary Wing, which offered specialist inpatient care for people suffering with mental health problems, closed in April.

Inpatient mental health services transferred to York.

North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which buys medical services for the county, said the transfer of inpatient beds “released £500,000”, which could be invested in community mental health services.

Have you been affected by this change in mental health services? Get in touch at [email protected]