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Kent NHS trust to open first women-only psychiatric ICU
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust said a 10-bed psychiatric intensive care unit for women in Dartford is due to open later this month.
- New headline Was: “Psychiatric intensive care unit for women to open”
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Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust said it will open the region's first dedicated NHS psychiatric intensive care unit for women later this month1.
The 10-bed facility at Littlestone Lodge in Dartford is intended for short-term, intensive care for women with serious mental health needs who require extra support, the trust told BBC South East1.
The trust said the unit follows a £4.63 million investment and is expected to provide about 2,500 bed days of care a year, with the first patient due toward the end of November1.
Chief medical officer Dr Afifa Qazi said women needing intensive care "have not been able to receive this specialist care from our team" until now1.
The trust said the service is meant to sit between hospital wards and community care, with two of the 10 beds available to women referred by other NHS trusts depending on need1.
It already provides intensive mental health care for men at Willow Suite, a 12-bed unit at Littlebrook Hospital1.
The trust said people with experience of mental health services helped shape the unit, and that the design takes account of sensory needs, including for women with autism and learning disabilities1.
Dartford MP Jim Dickson said the unit was an important investment in mental health services for women and their families across Kent and Medway, according to BBC South East1.