Plans to relocate mental health acute ward abandoned as board highlights need for assisted living 

Plans to relocate the acute ward from Ocean Views to a proposed facility at Sir Joshua Hassan House have been abandoned, with the Mental Health Board underscoring the need for more assisted living properties to alleviate bed blockages. 

The plans were not formally announced but were listed within the Mental Health Board Report Annual Inspection Report 2025, in which the board highlighted reservations about the proposal. 

At the core of the issue is that the board believes the location at Sir Joshua Hassan House (JHH) would be inadequate and that, instead, there is a real need for assisted living facilities for patients undergoing mental health treatment. 

The relocation of the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), currently housed in Coaling Island, to Sir Joshua Hassan House was first revealed last year, which the board said it has consistently supported. 

The report detailed that it later became aware that the plan involved relocating the acute ward from Ocean Views to Sir Joshua Hassan House and underscored its concerns that this move might not deliver the intended improvements and could potentially result in patients experiencing “less than ideal” conditions. 

“The relocation of the Acute Ward to JHH represents just one piece of a much larger picture,” the Board said. 

“Without being properly coordinated with a fully funded community assisted living programme, the ward risks becoming overwhelmed, even if it is intended primarily for short-stay patients.” 

“Without adequate step-down support and pathways back into the community, the flow through the ward will be limited, potentially leading to longer stays and reduced capacity.” 

“The success of the move depends not only on the physical relocation but also on the wider system of care that surrounds and supports it.” 

Chairman of the Mental Health Board George Parody, and Vice Chair Emily Adamberry Olivero, told the Chronicle they were informed last month that the plans to relocate the acute ward were no longer taking place. 

“There was engagement, quite a lot of it,” Mr Parody said. 

“But there was no real engagement back because they assumed that that was going to happen, and the only people who actually put in any objection was actually the board.”  

The report added that what was initially intended as a straightforward move for the CMHT had expanded to include other departments, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Ombudsman, the Archives, as well as the acute ward from Ocean Views. 

“Originally the plan was simply to identify a more suitable site for the CMHT, first at St Bernard’s Hospital and then at the Gibraltar Chronicle building,” the report said. 

“However, the relocation has become far more complex and has resulted in a reduction of the space that would otherwise have been allocated to the new Model of Care Hub for the CMHT.” 

Mr Parody said there is a real need is for an assisted living programme to ensure that patients do not take up acute beds for months on end. 

He detailed that this is the current situation where patients often remain in Ocean Views for an extended period of time. 

There are currently four assisted living flats which house multiple residents, and Mr Parody and Ms Adamberry Olivero pointed out that a purpose-built block similar to what is available for elderly residents could mean that those with mental health issues are cared for in the community. 

“In the same way as they make provisions for people who are elderly, they should make provisions for people who have mental health issues, and it should be a systematic programme that is financed and resourced,” Mr Parody said. 

He added that, even without the relocation, assisted living should be a priority to ensure that patients can be discharged smoothly. 

In the report, the board said it understands that long-term inpatient stays are no longer regarded as best practice where suitable community-based alternatives are available but it remains concerned that the necessary infrastructure to support this shift has not yet been considered in sufficient detail. 

The report detailed that the board has seen no concrete proposals addressing how many supported living units are planned, where they will be located, what level of clinical and social support will be available and how they will be staffed, regulated, or funded, or when they will be operational. 

The board has consistently supported the relocation of the Community Mental Health Team to Joshua Hassan House and the adoption of the new model of care which underpins it.  

The board agrees with the appointment of a new GP, but added that this step can be taken now prior to the relocation. 

“The concept of the ‘new model of care’ should not be dependent on the completion of a new building, and the board suggested that GP services could reasonably begin at CMHT immediately,” the Board said. 

“While recognising the importance of appointing the right GP, the board considered that even a half-day clinic once a week would be feasible.” 

“The Director confirmed that the search for a suitable GP candidate would be prioritised.”