The new 12-bed male ward will treat patients referred by the NHS in Lancashire who are in serious mental distress and cannot be managed by community services

A new multi-million pound expansion of acute mental health services has opened at Priory Hospital Preston as the number of people requiring treatment continues to rise.

Priory has invested £4.5m to create the new Elswick Ward at the hospital – a specialist inpatient service where people experiencing severe, short-term episodes of mental illness can receive urgent treatment, in the safest-possible environment, close to home.

The newly-built ward, designed and constructed by Coyle Developments, has been opened in the face of growing demand for mental health services in the area.

Rates of people with a diagnosed mental health condition, including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder or other psychoses, are higher in Lancashire than nationally, according to Lancashire County Council analysis of NHS data.

There has also been an increase in the number of adults diagnosed with depression in Lancashire in the past year; despite no significant change for England as a whole.

Previous research in 2023 revealed that long waiting lists for mental health support services in the region are the main barrier preventing people from accessing care and treatment.

More recently, new figures released in the in October show that demand for mental health, learning disability, and autism services across the country has grown by nearly 40% since before the pandemic, with almost 3.8 million people utilising NHS services nationally in the past year.

Now, the 12-bed male ward at Priory Hospital Preston will be available to patients referred by the NHS in Lancashire who are in serious mental distress and cannot be managed by community services.

The specialist Elswick Ward team at Priory Hospital Preston includes occupational therapists, psychiatrists, nurses, and healthcare assistants.

Hospital director, Jayne Harrington, (left) and Priory chief executive, Rebekah Cresswell, (right) open the new Elswick Ward at Priory Hospital Preston

Priory Hospital Preston is a 50-bedded mental health hospital, offering an extensive range of services for adult males and females with acute mental health needs and eating disorders.

The hospital’s acute services enable more people in the region to receive specialist support and treatment closer to home.

Jayne Harrington, hospital director at Priory Hospital Preston, said: “We’re proud to have expanded our acute services at a time of great need for the communities we serve.

“The new ward offers round-the-clock support for people suffering a mental health crisis as we support them to be able to return to the community and live their life.

“Our specialist inpatient acute teams can support people with complex mental health needs, anxiety, depression, or psychosis, in safe and highly-therapeutic environments and we’re proud to be able to provide additional capacity to our NHS partners.”

Rebekah Cresswell, Priory chief executive officer, added: “This new multi-million-pound investment creates vital additional capacity, enabling our teams to provide life-changing support to even more people in need in the local area.”